The appointment of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as deputy prime minister was not made based on political interests but in consideration of his position in the party hierarchy.

Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said the appointment of Zahid to the country’s second-highest office was also aimed at stabilising the government which was formed after no party won a simple majority of 112 seats in the Dewan Rakyat.

“There has never been a cabinet that...