Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's crowning as Umno's new president was due to him being has been rewarded for his unwavering loyalty to the party and its leaders in its most troubled times, said former minister Zainuddin Maidin.

On the other hand, Zainuddin said former Umno Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who trailed Zahid in second place had angered party members due to his perceived hypocritical stand.

"He is a big opportunist," said Zainuddin in a blog posting in reference to Khairy whom he pointed out had only dared to criticise former premier Najib Abdul Razak after the latter’s resignation as Umno president.

"Ahmad Zahid's victory was due to his loyalty to the party and its leaders, and his understanding of the political reality that there are no permanent friends or enemies, as well as his acceptance of the fact how money is very important to strengthen one's influence in politics and in the party," he further said.

Ahmad Zahid, who was previously the vice-president carrying out the duties of party president, was elected Umno president when he won 93 votes against Khairy who received 51 votes.

Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, meanwhile, trailed at third and last place with only 23 votes.

Commenting on Tengku Razaleigh's loss, Zainuddin said it was clear that the veteran politician's ego had contributed to his downfall.

Zainuddin said Tengku Razaleigh (photo, below) in his bid for the president's post appeared to have underestimated Khairy's future in Umno and overestimated his own influence among the party's members.

"He (Tengku Razaleigh) measured himself to be the best candidate to be the opposition leader against Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad but it is now clear that he will remain to be the voice of Gua Musang.

"His position in the last spot has proven that despite decades of being in the country's political arena, his name fails to resonate with Umno's grassroots," said the former information minister.

He further noted that Khairy, who is also Rembau MP and a former minister, could still stand a chance to make a comeback if given the right opportunity by the current Umno president.

Besides Zahid, Khairy and Tengku Razaleigh, two lesser-known entrants also took part in the Umno presidential race – Mohamed Iqbal Maricair from the Bandar Tun Razak division, and Mohd Yusof Musa @ Jamaluddin from Iskandar Puteri.

Neither secured enough votes to win a division.