Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi

Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi, born on January 4, 1953, in Bagan Datuk, Perak, is a prominent Malaysian politician. He currently serves as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development since December 2022. He has been the leader of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and Chairman of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition since May 2018. Zahid has represented the Bagan Datuk constituency as a Member of Parliament since April 1995. He previously held the position of Deputy Prime Minister from July 2015 to May 2018. His career also includes various cabinet roles under former Prime Ministers Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Razak from March 2008 to May 2018, and serving as the 14th Leader of the Opposition from July 2018 to March 2019. Educated at the University of Malaya and University of Putra Malaysia (PhD in Communication), he had a career in banking and corporate management before entering politics, including roles at Bank Simpanan Nasional and as Chairman of Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad. He is the eldest of nine children, born to Indonesian-born Malaysian parents, and was raised by a Chinese foster-father. He has faced investigations and charges for corruption during his career.