About 19,000 Umno branches are slated to hold meetings and internal elections throughout this month and next to discuss preparations for the party's congress in December, when Datuk Seri Abdullah intends to defend his party presidency.

'Members need to find a way to stand united to ensure the party remains relevant,' said Mr Ahmad Faizal Mohamad Anuar, a branch leader in central Selangor state.

The July-August meetings will be watched for signs of whether members support Mr Abdullah's re-election as party president, and his plan to hand over power to his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in mid-2010 in a transition that some officials insist should be faster.

Elections for Umno president are held every three years, and the winner traditionally becomes the country's prime minister. But the party president can also hand over the job at mid-term to a chosen successor who then has to seek re-election.

Mr Ahmad Faizal acknowledged that there 'are a lot of cracks' in the party, with some members clamouring for a speedier power transfer.

'We want to see changes and transformations in our party. We want our leadership to be strong,' he said.

The meetings are likely to feature intense soul-searching after the government suffered a stunning setback in the March 8 general election. A three-party opposition alliance won five of Malaysia's 13 states and left the government with less than its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Mr Abdullah has said Deputy Prime Minister Najib will spearhead the government's bid to regain lost ground in the next general election, due by mid-2013.

The ruling party's branch meetings this month will select representatives for further meetings in October, when 191 party divisions will vote on whether to re-nominate Mr Abdullah as party president in the December internal elections.

Mr Abdullah is expected to get the minimum 30 per cent of nominations needed to defend his post, but he may be challenged by any one else who receives enough nominations. So far, only Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, a former finance minister, has announced plans to contest the post.

The branch meetings are also expected to discuss ways to combat opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's alliance.

Datuk Seri Anwar, who was arrested on Wednesday and detained overnight on accusations that he had sodomised an aide, has threatened to seize power by September through parliamentary defections.

ASSOCIATED PRESS