UMNO begins crucial meetings

UMNO begins crucial meetings

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia's ruling party began on Thursday a month of local-level meetings which will help decide the future leadership of the party and the country.

The Tawau division of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) nominated Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as party president and his deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as deputy president.

Tawau in Sabah is the first of the 165 UMNO divisions nationwide to hold its delegates' meeting before party elections in May.

The president and deputy president of UMNO are automatically premier and deputy premier.

The party's Supreme Council chaired by Mahathir in January issued controversial "advice" to divisions that the premier and his preferred successor Abdullah be nominated unopposed for the top posts.