Barisan Nasional chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s claim to the Malaysian premiership could gain momentum if PAS maintains a supporting posture within a broader electoral partnership that captures power after the 16th general election (GE16), according to Universiti Teknologi Malaysia analyst Mazlan Ali, Free Malaysia Today reported.
The political maneuvering comes as coalitions lay groundwork for upcoming state and national contests. Zahid insisted that Barisan Nasional (BN) will defend all 21 state seats the coalition secured in Melaka back in 2021, leaving just seven constituencies for PAS and its political partners to contest.
The Question of Dominance in State and Federal Alliances
Umno intends to lead any prospective government and will not relinquish that ambition simply because PAS chooses to nominate its own candidate for prime minister. Mazlan pointed out that political reality ultimately boils down to which party holds dominant power within the alliance.
Although PAS currently stands as the largest single party in Parliament, its willingness to step back and play a supporting role in structured electoral arrangements could clear the path for Umno’s aspirations to control Putrajaya. Past state contests demonstrate how this tactical cooperation operates on the ground.
In Johor, BN won a decisive victory with tacit backing from PAS, despite both sides insisting no formal electoral pact existed between BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN). PAS contested only 11 of the 56 available constituencies and urged its base to support BN candidates in seats where PN stayed out.
Further cooperation surfaced ahead of the Johor vote, when PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang offered backing for a BN-led state government even if the coalition fell short of a majority, declining to demand the menteri besar’s post or state executive council seats.
The partnership evolved into a formal seat-sharing arrangement in Negeri Sembilan. BN contested 25 seats while PN handled the remaining 11 during the August 1 polls. The two factions captured 25 of the 36 contested seats, with BN taking 18—including 16 won directly by Umno—while PN secured seven, split four for PAS and three for Wawasan.
Melaka Seat Allocations and Leadership Contenders
Attention now shifts to the upcoming Melaka polls. Zahid announced that BN intends to defend every single one of the 21 state seats it won in 2021, leaving PAS and its allies to contest the remaining seven.
BN’s firm stance on defending its turf in Melaka comes despite the coalition failing to capture any of the state’s six parliamentary seats during GE15 in 2022. Mazlan noted that if their broader alliance secures a parliamentary majority at GE16 and Umno outperforms PAS in seat counts under an electoral agreement, PAS would have to back Zahid for prime minister.
At the same time, analysts are weighing alternative contenders for the nation’s top office. Mazlan observed that PAS could consider Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar or Hamzah Zainudin as potential prime ministerial candidates.
However, Umno remains closed to backing the Wawasan president for the highest office. “Umno will never give up the position of prime minister to a splinter party,” Mazlan said.
Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri of Global Asia Consulting did not rule out Hamzah emerging as a practical choice to break a potential leadership deadlock. Yet, he cautioned that PAS’s openness to working with Hamzah provides no guarantee of unified support for his premiership.
“Hamzah must show that his ministerial experience has translated into measurable achievements and that PAS’s support is more than a temporary alignment of political interests,” Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani stated.
