Formal Barisan Nasional-Pakatan Harapan talks set to start after Melaka assembly dissolved
Formal negotiations between Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan over cooperation in the upcoming Melaka election will begin after the state assembly is dissolved, BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.
Source: Free Malaysia Today · August 30, 2026 at 7:34 AM · AI-assisted report
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MELAKA, 30 AUGUST 2026 —
Formal negotiations between Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan over cooperation in the upcoming Melaka election will begin after the state assembly is dissolved, BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.
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Only informal discussions have taken place so far, Zahid told reporters after an event in Serdang. He said Melaka BN chief Ab Rauf Yusoh would lead the talks and finalise any agreement. “We are leaving it to Rauf. I think he will hold formal discussions after the state assembly is dissolved,” Zahid said. “I have already held discussions with the entire Melaka Umno political bureau, and the matter has been brought to the Supreme Council.”
Pakatan Harapan election director Amirudin Shari said he was awaiting Rauf’s signal to start formal talks on political cooperation. Amirudin said he had spoken to Rauf, but the Melaka BN chief wanted to wait for policy decisions from Umno and BN’s central leadership before proceeding.
Zahid had earlier said BN and Perikatan Nasional would continue their alliance in the Melaka polls following BN’s win in the Negeri Sembilan election on August 1. That stance appeared to stall when Zahid said BN intended to contest the 21 seats it won in the last Melaka election, while PN said negotiations were still ongoing. Melaka has 28 state seats.
BN won 21 seats in the 2021 Melaka election to form the state government, while PH took five and PN two. The current assembly’s term expires on December 31.
Related: Ahmad Zahid Hamidi · Melaka