Zahid rejects PN request for two more Melaka seats, BN to contest 21

Barisan Nasional (BN) has rejected Perikatan Nasional's (PN) request for two more seats in the Melaka state election. BN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said BN is sticking to the original deal: BN contests 21 seats and the other seven are left to PN, Bernama and Free Malaysia Today reported on Saturday, 24 October 2026.

What Zahid said

Zahid, who is also Umno president, spoke to reporters after an event in Melaka.

"I have heard about efforts to seek additional seats, but we already have a pact, an agreement to allow them to contest the seven seats BN is not contesting, which we have left to PN's component parties to distribute among themselves," he said.

"That is the decision for now, and we will stand by what we have mutually agreed upon," Zahid said, as quoted by Bernama. According to FMT, he said PN had already agreed to the seven seats earlier.

Where the request came from

Earlier this week Zahid announced that talks on a political understanding with PAS had been finalised, with BN contesting 21 of the 28 seats and seven going to PAS and its allies. PN later denied that seat talks with BN were final.

On Friday, PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said PN was still negotiating for one or two seats on top of the seven, with a decision expected within a day or two. He said the seven seats comprise four won by DAP and three Malay-majority constituencies, Malay Mail reported, citing Sinar Harian.

Inside PN, and on the Pakatan Harapan side

On the same day, Wawasan president Hamzah Zainudin said PN components that hold their own negotiations without consulting the coalition's leadership should simply leave PN. He did not name a party, but FMT described the remark as a thinly veiled dig at Bersatu, amid reports of a possible Bersatu and Pakatan Harapan (PH) understanding in Melaka, reportedly dubbed "PH Plus". Those reports say the Bemban seat could go to Bersatu. The parties involved have not confirmed them.

From the PH side, Amanah communications director Khalid Samad urged PH to go solo in Melaka and in GE16, rejecting what he called "Umno's money politics" and "PAS's autocracy", in a statement. PH and BN are currently allies in the federal government.

Background

In the 2021 Melaka election, BN won 21 seats, PH five and PN two through Bersatu. An Umno assemblyman later moved to PAS before the state's anti-hopping law took effect.

The Election Commission has set nomination for 31 October, early voting for 10 November and polling day for 14 November. PN's own registration is in dispute: the Registrar of Societies (RoS) deregistered it on Tuesday, but the High Court stayed the deregistration while PN's judicial review is heard.

What happens next

If Zahid's decision holds, PN and its allies must divide the seven seats among themselves before nomination. At the time of writing, PN had not given an official response to the rejection.

Read also

• PAS-BN talks for Melaka polls at final stage
• RoS deregisters Perikatan Nasional, PN to appeal to home minister and court
• PKR confirms nine Melaka seats, Pakatan to name candidates on 24 October

Sources

• Free Malaysia Today, Zahid spurns PN's appeal for 2 more seats in Melaka polls pact, 24 October 2026
• Malay Mail (Bernama), BN rejects Perikatan request for additional seats in Melaka election, 24 October 2026
• Malay Mail, Melaka polls: Perikatan seat talks with Umno to be finalised within days, says Tuan Ibrahim, 23 October 2026
• Free Malaysia Today, Components that hold own talks should just leave PN, says Hamzah, 24 October 2026
• Free Malaysia Today, Khalid wants PH to take anti-Umno, PAS stand in Melaka polls, GE16, 24 October 2026