Barisan Nasional will finalise seat numbers for the Sabah state election next week, with 80% of candidates being fresh faces.
PUTRAJAYA: Barisan Nasional is expected to finalise the number of seats it will contest in the 17th Sabah State Election next week.
Party chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the official announcement will be made during his visit to Kota Kinabalu.
He confirmed this when asked whether BN would contest fewer than 48 seats in the state polls.
Ahmad Zahid stated that 80% of BN’s candidates in the election will be fresh faces.
He said the move demonstrates the party’s commitment to renewal and seeks to engage young voters in Sabah to back BN.
Ahmad Zahid also confirmed that seat allocation negotiations between BN and Pakatan Harapan are nearly complete.
He revealed that around 95% of seat allocations have been finalised with only a few technical details remaining under discussion.
Sabah BN chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin was reported as saying that seat allocation discussions were in their final phase.
Bung Moktar had indicated that nearly 70% of seat allocations had already been finalised.
The Election Commission has set November 29 as polling day for the state election.
Nomination day is scheduled for November 15 with early voting on November 25.
The Sabah State Assembly has 79 seats of which 73 are contested while the remaining six are appointed assembly members. – Bernama
