Former Malaysian deputy prime minister and current president of the ruling party UMNO Ahmad Zahid Hamidi arrives at the Kuala Lumpur High Court complex for the court's decision on whether he will have to enter his defence or be acquitted of corruption and money laundering charges in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 24, 2022. REUTERS/Hasnoor HussainRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterKUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A Malaysian high court acquitted a former deputy prime minister of 40 bribery charges, saying the prosecution had failed to provide enough evidence, state news agency Bernama reported on Friday. The UMNO party came back to power in 2020 after an alliance led by Mahathir Mohamad that won the 2018 election collapsed from infighting. Zahid has been urging Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is also from the UMNO party, to call for early elections ahead of a September, 2023 deadline. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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