Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that he had foresaw his son Mukhriz's defeat in the contest for Umno's vice-presidency.

NONE"Before the contest, I had said he was losing and he had a 50-50 chance or less. My prediction was right," Mahathir told reporters in Putrajaya today, according to Bernama.

Mahathir added that the results of the election last night showed that Umno members what to retain old faces.

Asked if the results would hamper efforts to transform Umno, Mahathir replied that the winds of change had failed to affect the party.

"I don't know... Some wanted change, some wanted things to be the same. It's up to them.

"On the surface, it (transformation) didn't work. But perhaps those who were elected would change how they think and it (Umno) becomes youthful," he said.

Mukhriz came in fourth in the contest, just 9 votes behind Hishammuddin Hussein, who is an incumbent.

It is believed that Mukhriz scored higher than Hishammuddin in terms of popular votes, but the electoral college system adopted by Umno meant each candidate can receive only a maximum of 191 votes from the 191 Umno divisions.

The other two incumbents are Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Mohd Shafie Apdal. Both retained their positions by a landslide.