PUTRAJAYA: Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional’s seat allocations will not overlap for the upcoming Sabah state election, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail says.
The Pakatan secretary-general said negotiations between the two coalitions were conducted to ensure they would not contest against each other.
“When asked why Barisan is contesting more seats, the negotiation between Barisan and Pakatan was not to clash.
“So, whether they (Barisan) contest 40 or 50 seats, as long as they do not overlap with Pakatan, that’s fine. That was the most important part,” he told a press conference here during the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (WDAT) 2025 on Monday (Nov 10).
Saifuddin Nasution, who is also the Home Minister, added that the objective had been achieved.
“So, was there no overlap with Pakatan? Yes, that was achieved. Done,” he said, adding that he also held discussions with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) to avoid clashes.
“My task also involved negotiating with GRS to prevent any overlapping, and that too has been resolved,” he said.
On Sunday, Pakatan chairman and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the coalition would contest about 23 seats in the 17th Sabah election - not to form the next state government but to work closely with GRS and Barisan for stronger representation in the federal administration.
Sabah PKR has named 10 seats it will contest - Api-Api, Sindumin, Merotai, Melalap, Karamunting, Inanam, Tulid, Gum-Gum, Segama and Petagas.
Sabah Barisan, led by its chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, will contest 41 of the 73 seats.
Bung earlier declared “an all-out war” to reclaim the state government lost in the 2018 general election.
Umno will contest 36 seats, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) two, and MCA one.
