Biography
Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi (born 4 January 1953 in Bagan Datuk, Perak) is Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia and Minister of Rural and Regional Development, holding both posts since December 2022. He has been the Member of Parliament for Bagan Datuk since 1995 — one of the longest unbroken runs in the Dewan Rakyat — and has led the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) as president, and the Barisan Nasional coalition as chairman, since 2018. Zahid entered politics as political secretary to Najib Razak in 1986, became UMNO Youth chief in 1996, and won Bagan Datuk at his first attempt in the 1995 general election. He served in successive Barisan Nasional cabinets under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Razak between 2008 and 2018, holding the Home Affairs and Defence portfolios among others, and was Deputy Prime Minister for the first time from 2015 to 2018. After Barisan Nasional lost power in 2018 he took over the UMNO presidency and served as Leader of the Opposition. Under his leadership the coalition won state elections in Malacca (2021) and Johor (2022) but recorded its worst-ever federal result in the 2022 general election, returning only 30 seats. His decision to take UMNO into a unity government with Pakatan Harapan — its opponent of two decades — put Anwar Ibrahim in office and returned Zahid to the deputy premiership, making him the first person appointed to that post under two different prime ministers. Zahid has faced extensive corruption proceedings. He was acquitted in September 2022 of 40 bribery charges relating to a foreign visa system and seven charges of receiving bribes as Home Minister. In September 2023 he was granted a discharge not amounting to acquittal on the remaining 47 charges concerning the Yayasan Akalbudi charitable foundation.
Constituencies (1)
Electoral track record
| Year | Party | Votes | % | Majority | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | BN | 16,578 | 39.61% | — | Won |
| 2018 | BN | 18,909 | 51.37% | — | Won |
| 2013 | UMNO | 17,176 | 53.27% | — | Won |
| 2008 | BN | 13,115 | 55.72% | — | Won |
| 2004 | BN | 17,049 | 79.08% | — | Won |
| 1999 | UMNO | 12,938 | — | — | Lost |
| 1999 | BN | 12,938 | 60.86% | — | Lost |
| 1995 | BN | 17,646 | 86.24% | — | Lost |
Parliamentary activity
From 249 Dewan Rakyat sittings- 3 Mar 2026· Sitting 20Absent
- 2 Mar 2026· Sitting 19Present
- 26 Feb 2026· Sitting 18Absent
- 25 Feb 2026· Sitting 17Absent
- 24 Feb 2026· Sitting 16Absent
- 23 Feb 2026· Sitting 15Absent
- 12 Feb 2026· Sitting 14Absent
- 11 Feb 2026· Sitting 13Absent
- 10 Feb 2026· Sitting 12Absent
- 9 Feb 2026· Sitting 11Absent
- 5 Feb 2026· Sitting 10Absent
- 4 Feb 2026· Sitting 9Present
Attendance, participation & recorded votes extracted from official Hansard records.
Connections (298)
Explore network- Anwar IbrahimPKR100% aligned
- Fadillah YusofPBB100% aligned
- Mohamad SabuAMANAH100% aligned
- Mohamed Khaled NordinUMNO100% aligned
- Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad100% aligned
- Fadhlina SidekPKR100% aligned
- Armizan Mohd Ali100% aligned
- Akmal NasirPKR100% aligned
- Shamsul Anuar NasarahUMNO100% aligned
- Liew Chin TongDAP100% aligned
News sentiment over time
2007 mentions across 37 months
News mentions
Summaries, sentiment labels and article-to-politician links here are generated automatically and can be wrong. Each item links to its original source — treat that as the record. How we generate this. Spotted a mistake? Use “Report an issue”.
Zahid: BN and PAS to announce Melaka candidates tomorrow
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that BN and PAS will reveal their Melaka state election candidates tomorrow, with BN contesting 21 seats and…
Why you’re seeing this: About Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
PAS’s deference strengthens Zahid’s claim to be next PM, says analyst - Free Malaysia Today
Why you’re seeing this: Mentions Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
PAS’s deference strengthens Zahid’s claim to be next PM, says analyst
Analysts say PAS's willingness to play a supporting role could strengthen Umno's aspirations to lead Putrajaya, with BN chairman Zahid…
Why you’re seeing this: About Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Sikap PAS beri laluan perkukuh peluang Zahid jadi PM, kata penganalisis
Penganalisis dari UTM menyatakan bahwa Umno ingin memimpin kerajaan seterusnya dan mungkin mendukung Zahid sebagai PM jika koalisi dengan…
Why you’re seeing this: About Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
BN, PAS to share stage in unveiling candidates, says Zahid
BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the coalition will unveil its 21 candidates, while PAS will reveal its seven candidates, and they will…
Why you’re seeing this: About Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Showing the 5 most recent of 20 tracked mentions.