MELAKA: Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional leaders are expected to hold high-level talks in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday (Sept 23) over a possible electoral pact for the Melaka polls.
Sources told The Star that the meeting would focus on the terms of the proposed cooperation, including the allocation of state constituencies between the two coalitions.
However, the source declined to disclose the venue.
"The meeting should clarify recent speculation that Perikatan may contest independently and field candidates in all 28 seats if negotiations with Barisan fail,” the source said.
Melaka Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh had previously maintained that the coalition would defend all 21 seats it won in the 2021 state election.
Ab Rauf, who is now caretaker Chief Minister, said retaining those constituencies was non-negotiable and would be the foremost condition for any party seeking an electoral partnership with Barisan.
The dissolution of the Melaka Legislative Assembly on Wednesday has renewed questions over Barisan’s choice of partners for the coming election.
Barisan secured 21 of the 28 state seats in 2021, giving it a two-thirds majority and sufficient numbers to form the state government independently.
It later established an administrative partnership with Pakatan Harapan in line with the Federal Government’s unity government arrangement.
That partnership changed in July when Melaka DAP withdrew from the state administration following its opposition to a state constitutional amendment involving the creation of appointed assemblyman posts.
The development left the state administration reliant once again on Barisan’s original strength, with Ab Rauf stressing that the coalition had never depended on another party to form the government following its 2021 victory.
The political landscape has also shifted with the emergence of Parti Wawasan Negara (Wawasan), which subsequently joined Perikatan.
The Bemban and Sungai Udang assemblymen, who won their seats on Bersatu tickets in 2021, later joined Wawasan, placing both constituencies among the key issues in any Barisan-Perikatan seat negotiations.
The outcome of Wednesday’s talks could determine whether the polls produce cooperation between Barisan and Perikatan or a wider contest involving Barisan, Perikatan, Pakatan and Parti Bersama.
