KUALA LUMPUR – Perikatan Nasional (PN) will contest all 245 seats in the six states facing elections soon, its chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.
He said Bersatu will contest 83 seats, PAS 126, and Gerakan 36.
“As for non-incumbent new seats, Bersatu will contest 64 seats, PAS 50, and Gerakan 36,” he said after chairing the PN presidential council meeting here today.
Also present were PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, Gerakan president Datuk Dominic Lau, and Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
The elections in six states involve 36 state constituencies in Kedah, 45 in Kelantan, and 32 in Terengganu, all of which are under PN rule, while Penang has 40 seats, Selangor 56, and Negri Sembilan 36 under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration.
Muhyiddin said PN’s machinery was at its highest level and committed to defending the PN-administered states of Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah, in addition to capturing the other three states.
When asked if the coalition’s candidates have been finalised, the Bersatu president said the matter was being discussed and will be announced at the state level.
“The names of candidates are submitted by the states through nominations received at the respective areas because each party has a committee that will vet suitable candidates from various aspects,” he said.
Besides this, he said PN was also at the final stages of preparing its joint election manifesto.
Separately, Muhyiddin denied recent media reports that he and Hamzah were not seeing eye to eye on the way Bersatu was headed.
“PN is the most harmonious party, all the parties (in it) have no problems and are stable. Since when have I been fighting? These are all concocted so don’t believe them, this is the work of cybertroopers,” he said.
According to a local news portal, allegations of a rift between the two Bersatu leaders were triggered following recent reports that the PN leadership was allegedly planning to replace Hamzah as the opposition leader in Parliament. – Bernama, June 22, 2023
