00:00Analysts have played down Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's prospects of becoming Prime Minister,
00:05despite Khairi Jamaluddin claiming the UMNO president's prospects have brightened in the current political landscape.
00:12The analysts said UMNO will need to secure a major increase in parliamentary seats at the next general election
00:19for Zahid to realistically have a shot at the top post.
00:23Maslan Ali of University Technology Malaysia said Khairi's remarks were made in the context of crises within other parties,
00:31including Bersatu and Krikatan Nasional, as well as tensions within the unity government,
00:36with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim facing criticism.
00:40Nevertheless, he said Zahid would only stand a chance if UMNO had a massive surge in seats
00:45and regained its standing as one of the dominant parties in the arena.
00:49If GE16 were to lead to the same results as the 2022 polls,
00:55Maslan said it would be difficult for other parties to back Zahid for the top post,
01:00especially if Pakatan Harapan remains the largest bloc.
01:04University Malaya's Awang Asman Paui said it was not impossible for Zahid to become the next Prime Minister,
01:10but this depended on the dynamics of a hung parliament and post-election negotiations.
01:15Natasha Bust, FMT.
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