Nazri eyes GE16 comeback, confident of recapturing Padang Rengas

Former Padang Rengas MP Nazri Aziz is eyeing a political comeback in the 16th general election, saying he intends to reclaim the parliamentary seat for BN after sitting out the previous election to serve as Malaysia's ambassador to the United States.

The Padang Rengas Umno division chief is confident of reversing BN's defeat in 2022, when the coalition lost the seat to Bersatu by 3,046 votes.

“Who said I retired? Not at all, I did not retire. I became an ambassador, right? Nobody retired.

“That time I didn't contest because I got to be the ambassador to the United States. So, a condition from the State Department to be an ambassador is that one cannot be a member of Parliament or a member of the Dewan Negara,” he told Malaysiakini.

However, Nazri's claim that he never retired contradicts his earlier public statements.

In August 2021, he announced his retirement from politics after six parliamentary terms, saying it was time to make way for younger leaders. He reiterated his decision in October 2022, less than a month before GE15, when he said he would not defend the Padang Rengas seat.

He was appointed Malaysia's ambassador to the United States on Feb 9, 2023, nearly three months after GE15. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim later clarified that the appointment process had been initiated by the previous administration and involved a six-month approval process with US authorities.

Nazri completed his two-year diplomatic posting in February 2025 and has since returned to Malaysia.

In January this year, he also indicated his willingness to contest GE16 if Umno required him to do so.

'We cannot play around anymore'

In GE15, BN fielded Arrif Abdul Majid, who lost to Bersatu's Azahari Hasan, then contesting under Perikatan Nasional. Azahari is now listed among the leaders of Wawasan Negara, a PN component party.

Nazri argued that BN could not afford another defeat and should field a stronger candidate.

“Right now, we cannot play around anymore; we want to bring down Pakatan Harapan. We want BN and PN to win. So we want to ensure we can win.

“I already gave a chance to a young person, and he lost by a big majority of 3,000... If he had won in that general election, I wouldn't contest anymore,” he said.

Nazri remained the Padang Rengas Umno division chief throughout his diplomatic posting, leaving him in a position to seek the party's nomination for the seat.

“I am already back in the country, and I am no longer retired; I am still the division chief. I will contest, God willing,” he said, adding that his candidacy would ultimately be decided by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Eyes BN-PAS government

Nazri ruled out seat negotiations with PN, arguing that Padang Rengas should remain with BN because Bersatu was no longer part of the coalition. However, the party's position in PN has been contested.

He backed cooperation between Umno and PAS, a key PN component, and hoped the two parties could form the next federal government together.

“I agree and support cooperation with PAS; we don't want the Malay community to be divided anymore. These two parties are pre-independence parties,” he said.

On BN's existing cooperation with Harapan, Nazri said the arrangement followed the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's call for a unity government after GE15 and should remain in place until the next general election.

Looking beyond GE16, he expressed confidence that BN could form a government with PAS, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), and parties from Sabah.

“When these two Malay parties unite, God willing, we can win. No problem,” he said.

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