However, Zahid, who is also the Umno president, said the coalition will not field candidates in all 222 parliamentary seats, Harian Metro reported.
“We have effectively gone solo before, in the 14th and 15th general elections. Looking ahead, it is almost certain we will do so again.
“Nevertheless, we will take into account understanding with other parties (outside BN), particularly to avoid seat overlaps and three-cornered contests,” he said in an interview with Media Prima in conjunction with Umno’s 80th anniversary convention yesterday.
Zahid, the Bagan Datuk MP and deputy prime minister, said Umno’s approach will remain flexible in choosing its partners, considering today’s dynamic political landscape.
He also said the decision not to contest all seats is consistent with Umno’s experience in the last two general elections.
“We will contest where we can win and avoid clashing with friendly parties. Multi-cornered fights only weaken any party’s chances of achieving a decisive victory.
“If there are too many contestants, it will not guarantee victory for any coalition,” he said.
He said Umno will not compromise on core principles involving the interests of Islam, the monarchy, as well as Malay rights and the Malay language — fundamentals that are non-negotiable in any political cooperation.
On the position of MCA and MIC, Zahid said both component parties face no issues within BN, despite speculation that they may be considering leaving the coalition.
In March, FMT reported political analyst Afifi Abdul Razak as saying that BN should just go for winnable seats rather than set its sights on fielding a large number of candidates in GE16.
The Universiti Utara Malaysia academic pointed out that the current political landscape is challenging and fluid, meaning that BN must go for the right strategy, including continuing its alliance with Pakatan Harapan or forming a new one with Perikatan Nasional.
Malaysiakini had quoted a source as saying that BN intends to contest at least 115 parliamentary seats in GE16 to enable the coalition to lead the federal government.
The source, who attended a recent BN meeting, said the goal is to get rid of the perception that BN is playing second fiddle to PH in the unity government.