KUALA LUMPUR: Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has been returned as chief of the Gua Musang division in Kelantan, a post he has held since 1962.
His re-election victory makes him Malaysia’s longest-serving party division chief.
Razaleigh, who is known as Ku Li, obtained 453 votes, while his challengers Che Mohd Izani Che Musa and Saari Lembut obtained 46 and five votes respectively.
The contest marked only the second time he had been challenged since he became Gua Musang Umno chief at the age of 25.
In other divisional contests, Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan was re-elected uncontested as division chief of Rembau, Negeri Sembilan, a post he has held since 2003.
In Kedah, Umno vice-president Mahdzir Khalid successfully defended the Padang Terap division chief’s post while in Kelantan, state Umno chairman Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub retained the Machang division chief’s post unopposed.
Others retaining the division chief’s posts uncontested in Kelantan were: deputy state chairman Fatmi Salleh (Kota Bahru), Zawawi Othman (Pasir Puteh), Kok Lanas assemblyman Alwi Che Ahmad (Ketereh) and Zaluzi Sulaiman (Pengkalan Chepa).