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BN may not contest all 36 seats in Negeri Sembilan election; cooperation with Pas speculated
🇲🇾 Malaysia /Elections & Politics

BN may not contest all 36 seats in Negeri Sembilan election; cooperation with Pas speculated

From Utusan Malaysia · () Malay

Translated from Malay, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • Barisan Nasional may not contest all 36 seats in the Negeri Sembilan state election, sparking speculation about cooperation with Pas.
  • The coalition has kept the number of seats it will contest secret until an official announcement.
  • UMNO is expected to contest over 14 seats, with the remainder distributed among component parties based on finalized negotiations.

Barisan Nasional (BN) is reportedly set to contest fewer than all 36 seats in the upcoming Negeri Sembilan state election, fueling speculation about potential cooperation with the Islamist party Pas. The coalition has maintained secrecy surrounding the exact number of seats it will contest, awaiting an official announcement scheduled for later today.

So far, I have met all the prospective candidates who have signed the pledge and also taken the oath with me as the BN Chairman. This is something we usually do before every state election, by-election, or general election.

— Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid HamidiChairman of BN, commenting on the process of meeting candidates before the election.

Sources indicate that UMNO is expected to vie for more than 14 seats, with the remaining allocations to be distributed among other component parties based on concluded negotiations. BN Chairman Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed he has met with all prospective candidates who have signed pledges and taken oaths, a standard practice before elections.

"So far, I have met all the prospective candidates who have signed the pledge and also taken the oath with me as the BN Chairman. This is something we usually do before every state election, by-election, or general election," he stated. Regarding seat distribution, the Deputy Prime Minister revealed that BN has allocated seven seats to MCA and four to MIC, based on projections of winnability.

The seat distribution is based on winnability projections. We are giving seven seats to MCA and four to MIC. As for UMNO seats, I or the Negeri Sembilan BN Chairman will announce them tonight.

— Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid HamidiDeputy Prime Minister, explaining the allocation of seats to component parties.

"The seat distribution is based on winnability projections. We are giving seven seats to MCA and four to MIC. As for UMNO seats, I or the Negeri Sembilan BN Chairman will announce them tonight," he added. Negeri Sembilan UMNO Liaison Committee Chairman Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias confirmed that the candidate list is finalized, including representatives from UMNO, MCA, and MIC, along with their Wanita and Puteri wings. He expressed confidence that the chosen candidates are the best and capable of achieving victory on August 1.

Insya-Allah, the candidate list we are presenting and announcing tonight is among the best. I am confident they can achieve success on August 1.

— Datuk Seri Jalaluddin AliasChairman of the Negeri Sembilan UMNO Liaison Committee, expressing confidence in the candidates.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Utusan Malaysia in Malay. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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