Malaysia's Umno party is reportedly planning to contest the upcoming general election independently, a move experts consider a significant gamble. The party aims to rally support from the Malay-Muslim majority to regain its former political influence.

Malaysia’s Umno is making a heady gamble by planning to strike out on its own, experts say, as the former ruling party looks to rally support from among the country’s Malay-Muslim majority in preparation for national polls that must be called in less than two years from now. Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Sunday said the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition that the party led was “almost certain” of standing alone in the coming general election, after more than three years as a junior partner.....