KUALA TERENGGANU - MALAYSIAN Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on Thursday officially announced he will contest the Umno president's post when the party holds its election next March.

The current Umno deputy president was picked by current party president, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who on Wednesday declared he would not be defending his post.

The Umno president traditionally becomes prime minister of the country.

Other Umno leaders have declared their intention to contest the No 2 post of deputy president, but only veteran politician Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has offered himself for the post of party president.