The speculation is that Bersatu, which decided to back Ismail despite the toppling of its president Muhyiddin Yassin, will push for its man to become the Umno vice-president’s number two, and analysts are split over who would be the best candidate.

One message was clear: Bersatu will have to pick a candidate who is able to appeal to both Umno and its supporters.

“There are a lot of names being floated, like Hamzah Zainudin, Azmin Ali, Tok Pa (Mustapa Mohamed) and even rumours that former Perak menteri besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu could be picked,” noted Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.

“Whoever they pick, they will need to ensure it helps maintain goodwill with Umno, as Bersatu will need their help winning seats in the next election,” he told FMT.

“Somebody like Tok Pa would be non-controversial, while Hamzah and Azmin are seen as polarising and Umno may not favour them because of that.”

Oh said the general perception that Mustapa is a “technocrat” – somebody with a high degree of technical expertise – will help offset some of the ill-feelings some in Umno or on the ground may feel towards their former member. Mustapa left Umno to join Bersatu in September 2018 after the fall of the Barisan Nasional government.

Tunku Mohar Mokhtar of International Islamic University Malaysia said that he expected Hamzah to be a popular choice in Bersatu because of his former ties to Umno.

“Some of the Bersatu grassroots might argue that somebody like Supreme Council member Redzuan Yusof should be rewarded for his loyalty as he’s been with the party from the beginning.

“But I hear from some sources within Umno that Hamzah would be their preferred pick from Bersatu, as he was with them before he defected.

“He is likely to be favoured by Umno and his selection would also appease the Bersatu grassroots, however it is hard to tell how large that base is.”