KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — Barisan Nasional (BN) could risk losing the upcoming 15th general election (GE15) if it is not held within the next few months, cautioned Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The BN chairman said the opposition would use this time to threaten confidence in BN, and delaying an election would only provide the opposition with the ammunition to continue their attacks against the coalition.

"The party leadership and Umno grassroots are very confident that this is the best time to hold GE15. We have given justification many times,” he said in a statement on Facebook here.

"What’s important is that Umno doesn’t want the opposition use the remaining months before the dissolution to attack BN,” he added.

Zahid added that that the opposition has not sought Parliament’s dissolution despite their constant remarks about the government not having the people’s mandate or labelling it as a "back-door” administration so that they can continue to attack the government.

The former deputy prime minister said that the opposition is attempting to paint BN in a bad light using fragmented and incoherent arguments.

"In other words, they attack, spin and then try to create an image that they are the best, even though Pakatan Harapan, who was in power for 22 months, proved otherwise so much so that their own PM resigned when he knew that their manifesto could not be fulfilled,” he said.

Zahid was referring to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s resignation in February 2020 following the "Sheraton Move” political coup.

The Bagan Datuk MP also pointed out that Dr Mahathir’s had in recent interview with The Associated Press, admitted that the opposition was now split and disorganised, paving the way for Umno to win big.

"Umno has already made its stance known a long time ago. Now, it is up to the government's leadership to expedite the demands of the grassroots and Umno. Expedite the election or Umno BN will lose GE15. Better to have it now because there is no use in regretting later,” he said.

The current leadership has until September next year to call an election but the Prime Minister is facing a lot of pressure to hold it sooner following fallouts within members of the ruling parties.

Umno specifically is pressing for polls to be held as early as possible, especially after BN’s landslide victories in state elections.