KUALA LUMPUR — Barisan Nasional (BN) will contest the upcoming Negeri Sembilan state election solo, said its chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Umno president said BN had no choice but to go solo after Pakatan Harapan (PH) announced its intention to contest all 36 state seats.
“Yes, in Negeri Sembilan, we (BN) will definitely move solo because (PH) has announced that it will contest all 36 seats… So we have no choice but to contest on our own,” he told reporters after officiating the Invest Malaysia 2026 programme here today.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, expressed optimism about BN’s performance and stressed that the coalition’s immediate priority was to secure a mandate from voters first.
However, BN’s decision to contest Negeri Sembilan alone would not affect the current federal leadership, Bernama reported him saying.
The cooperation BN has with PH in the government administration remains solid, he said, and is expected to continue until the end of the administrative term.
Ahmad Zahid described the synergy within the existing team as very strong, with all parties working closely together.
“We are very strong and working closely together as a team. I believe we should continue at least until the end of the term,” he said.
Barring a snap general election, the unity government’s term will end in December next year when the current Parliament automatically expires. The 16th general election must be called by February 2028 at the latest.
On the revival of the Muafakat Nasional pact, Ahmad Zahid said this was no longer relevant as the name had already been registered as a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
“Muafakat Nasional has already been registered as an NGO by another party. As such, we have no intention whatsoever of reviving Muafakat Nasional, whether version 1.0 or 2.0. The matter is final, and we have closed the chapter on it,” he said. – June 9, 2026