In a statement, Zahid said the move to return the mandate to the voters was proof that Umno and its leadership prioritised the nation and the people.

Similarly, he said, Umno prioritised the people by allowing its MPs to work with other parties and coalitions to form the temporary Perikatan Nasional-led government, with Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister, between March 2020 and August 2021.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman said this was key to ensure stability in the government after the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration collapsed amid infighting.

“However, in exchange for Umno’s goodwill, we received the treacherous ‘scheme of things’ to stab our party in the back,” he said.

The “scheme of things” refers to a leaked audio recording purportedly of Muhyiddin revealing plans to win over the support of Umno leaders by awarding them positions in the government and government-linked companies.

“The prime minister (Muhyiddin) of that temporary government failed to carry out his responsibility, forcing Umno to retract our support for him.

“Today, Umno and its leadership is returning the mandate to the people to form a new government.”

Meanwhile, Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the Election Commission could fix the GE15 polling day sometime in the middle of November, so as to avoid holding elections during the monsoon season.

He said the youth wing has mobilised its machinery in all 13,205 party branches nationwide in preparation for the nationwide polls.