JOHOR BARU: The Johor elections will only be held after receiving the blessing from His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamid.
The Umno president gave the short answer when asked if the polls in Johor will be held before Melaka's.
"I will discuss the matter with Johor Mentri Besar (Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi) once Tuanku gives his blessing," he said after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting here on Monday (May 11).
Ahmad Zahid said he had a "significant" one-hour meeting with His Majesty, who is also Johor Ruler, in conjunction with Umno's 80th anniversary.
"However, our meeting did not touch on the state election.
"We thank the King and Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim for agreeing to attend our party anniversary celebration at Istana Besar, which was where Umno was founded on May 11, 1946," he said.
Speculation is rife there will be snap polls in Johor could by October.
A gathering of top party leaders at the palace further fuelled talk that the current state administration is pushing for an early election.
The 15th Johor Election was held in March 2022, with Barisan Nasional securing 40 of 56 seats, Pakatan Harapan (12), Perikatan Nasional (three) and Muda (one).
The Melaka state administration's term ends in December, and polls must be held by February 2027.
Meanwhile, Umno secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the party's online membership registration efforts have been effective.
"In 20 days after launching it, 16,867 members have registered, with 71% of them youths," he said.
