I'm still BN's GE15 poster boy, PM candidate - Ismail Sabri

“I am still the poster boy and prime minister candidate for BN in the 15th general election (GE15),” said Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The caretaker premier said his selection as the candidate for the prime minister position was clearly decided at the 2021 Umno General Assembly and the decision of the Umno supreme council (MT) that met in April.

“So far there has been no decision from the supreme council saying otherwise and recently, 156 out of 190 Umno divisions passed a motion to support me as the prime minister candidate.

“The matter has not been reversed and there was no meeting (within the party) that decided otherwise, therefore the earlier decision still stands,” he said.

Ismail Sabri said this at a press conference after attending the candidate nomination process for the Bera parliamentary seat that took place at the Bera District Council Convention Hall today.

The Umno vice-president also denied rumours regarding a statutory declaration (SD) to nominate another prime minister candidate allegedly signed by all Umno candidates that went viral on social media recently.

Ismail Sabri said the SD was signed to prevent the candidates from jumping parties in line with the Constitution (Amendment) Act (No.3) 2022 which came into force on Oct 5.

“No, I don't think so because we sign an SD to not jump party every time there is an election,” he said.

“In the past, the SD was akin to a resignation letter for our position as a Dewan Rakyat or state legislative assembly member if we jumped to another party. But now, since there is an anti-hopping act, the SD is based on that act,” he said.

Asked about the speculation on a pact between Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to form a government after GE15, Ismail Sabri said: “I’m not sure... we didn’t hear about it... there are all sorts of speculation.”

- Bernama

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