Melaka polls: PH finalises seat allocation, to use own logo - Anwar

MELAKA: Pakatan Harapan has finalised seat allocations for the Melaka state election and will contest under its own logo, its chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.

He said of the 28 state seats, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) would field candidates in 11 seats, Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah), nine and DAP, eight.

"To allocate seats among the component parties is a long process, from state constituencies to state level where it is given time to discuss and decide. Only then will the list (choice of candidates) be submitted to a special committee representing the party leadership before being brought to the Presidential Council.

"So far, DAP remains with eight seats, Amanah nine and PKR, 11," he told a press conference held today at the PKR headquarters in Kuala Lumpur and attended by Amanah president Mohammad Sabu and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

Anwar, who is also PKR president, said all PH components - PKR, DAP, Amanah and Pertubuhan Kinabalu Progresif Bersatu (UPKO) - had unanimously agreed that the coalition will contest the polls using the PH logo.

"So we will be contesting under one logo with a common stand and manifesto for the state level," he said.

The Election Commission (EC) has set Nov 20 as polling day for the Melaka state election, nomination of candidates on Nov 8 and early voting on Nov 16.

The election has been necessitated after four state assemblymen withdrew their backing for the government led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali early this month, thus causing him to lose majority support in the assembly.

The assemblymen are Datuk Seri Idris Haron (BN-Sungai Udang), Datuk Nor Azman Hassan (BN-Pantai Kundor), Datuk Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Independent-Pengkalan Batu) and Datuk Noor Effandi Ahmad (Bersatu-Telok Mas).

Anwar said during the discussion the parliamentary seat allocation to be contested in the upcoming General Election (GE) was also finalised.

"It was agreed that PKR will contest in two seats, Amanah two and DAP will have an additional seat the Alor Gajah parliamentary which has traditionally been a DAP area but was given up to (Parti Pribumi) Bersatu (Malaysia) in the last general election," he said.

In GE14, PKR contested in the Tangga Batu and Hang Tuah Jaya parliamentary seats, Bersatu in Alor Gajah and Masjid Tanah, Amanah in Jasin while DAP in Kota Melaka.

Bersatu was a PH component party in GE 14.

In total, Melaka has six parliamentary seats of which PH won four seats, namely the Hang Tuah Jaya (PKR), Tangga Batu (PKR), Alor Gajah (Bersatu) and Kota Melaka (DAP) seats.

Meanwhile, when asked about negotiations with Parti Ikatan Demokratik Malaysia (MUDA) which intends to contest together with the PH bloc, Anwar said discussions were still ongoing.

-- BERNAMA