In a stunning fall from grace, former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak has announced his resignation as head of Umno and the once-ruling BN coalition.

He made the announcement during a press conference at Menara Dato Onn in Kuala Lumpur today.

His resignation came as several Umno leaders, including his number three Hishammuddin Hussein, <a href="https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/424457">called</a> for leadership change after BN suffered an embarrassing defeat at last Wednesday&#39;s national polls.

&quot;The Umno Political Bureau had convened&nbsp;(and) we took into consideration the current difficult situation, and seeing how Umno and BN experienced a very heavy loss (in the general election), therefore I, as president Umno and BN, make the decision to resign as Umno president and BN chairperson with immediate effect,&quot; he said today.

He, however, assured that he would not be leaving Umno.

&quot;I wish to thank all Umno members, and I give my word that I will not leave Umno and will continue to support Umno.

&quot;(That is) because there is no party that quite compares to Umno and BN. Insya-Allah Umno will live,&quot; said Najib, who is <a href="https://undi.info/pahang/r18/P85">Pekan</a> MP.

A downcast Najib, meanwhile, added that BN&#39;s loss in the polls would enable the coalition to work on overcoming their weaknesses and faults.

&quot;Even though this could be more about perception than reality, but there it is, who wins in the perception war, he could control the people&#39;s support,&quot; he said.

At the conclusion of the press conference, Najib hugged Umno vice-presidents Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Hishammuddin Hussein.

<iframe frameborder="0" height="440" scrolling="yes" src="https://undi.info/embed/?p85" width="100%"></iframe>

UPDATED 4.59PM | He had been besieged by calls from his own generals to step down after BN&#39;s stunning loss in GE14.

Najib resigns as Umno, BN chief

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