KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition will contest only 25 of the 36 seats in the upcoming Negeri Sembilan state polls, leaving the remaining 11 without candidates as it works to finalise an electoral understanding with a “trusted friend”, local media reported.
The move comes amid recent remarks by opposition party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) signalling its willingness to work with the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) – the BN lynchpin party – in the Aug 1 polls.
Nomination Day for the Negeri Sembilan state polls is on Saturday (Jul 18), followed by a 14-day official campaigning period.
“There will be another announcement because for this 16th state election, we will be entering into an understanding with a friend,” BN deputy chairman Mohamad Hasan said, as quoted by Malaysian news outlet Berita Harian, without giving further details.
“We are working with a trusted partner, God willing.”
He was speaking on Wednesday at the unveiling of BN’s candidates for the Negeri Sembilan polls, in which he added that the candidates for the remaining 11 state seats would be announced later by “the other side” on Thursday.
The seats are Klawang, Serting, Lobak, Sikamat, Ampangan, Bukit Kepayang, Mambau, Paroi, Lukut, Bagan Pinang and Gemas, Berita Harian reported.
Over the weekend, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said his party was prepared to accept an UMNO candidate as its chief minister nominee if cooperation between the two parties could be finalised.
He added that negotiations with UMNO over seat allocations had been “very positive”.
On Monday, UMNO president and BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had however brushed off any claims of cooperation with PAS for the Negeri Sembilan polls.
The latest development also comes on the back of the recent Johor state election, where PAS had openly urged its voters to vote for BN in seats not contested by the opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional (PN) that the Islamist party is a part of.
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