DAP finalises seat talks with BN for Sabah election, announces seven candidates and delays one to prevent clashes with coalition partners.
KOTA KINABALU: DAP is working to prevent seat clashes with its coalition partners in the upcoming 17th Sabah state election.
Party secretary-general Anthony Loke said they value coalition harmony and will make every effort to avoid overlapping contests, particularly with major government parties.
He confirmed that seat allocation discussions with Barisan Nasional have been finalised with no overlaps between the two parties.
Talks with other coalition partners are still ongoing with one week remaining before nomination day on November 15.
“We respect the harmony in our coalition,” Loke told a press conference after launching DAP’s election machinery.
“We are trying to avoid any major clashes with our main coalition partners.”
He expressed hope that there is still room to reach understanding with remaining partners.
Loke announced seven of the eight seats DAP will contest, withholding one interior constituency candidate pending further coalition discussions.
“The initial agreement is that we will contest that seat, but there are still requests for further discussions,” he said.
DAP has carefully assessed the constituency and previously represented the area with good performance records.
The party intends to field a well-regarded local female candidate for the seat.
“We believe she has the highest chance of winning,” Loke said.
Internal assessments indicate the candidate has strong winning potential.
The party will delay the announcement until reaching mutual understanding with coalition partners.
“The decision within the party has been made, but we will respect our coalition partners,” he added. – Bernama
