Analysts see Melaka election as tussle between BN and Pakatan, with Perikatan just splitting votes
Despite a crowded field of candidates running for the 28 seats in this weekend’s Melaka state election, political analysts said the fight is mainly between the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalitions.
(MMO) – Both coalitions, which had governed the historical state in the last three years, are looking to deepen their hold on power after collapsing due to the sudden withdrawal of support from pro-government lawmakers.
The same analysts said the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition that has also entered the arena will primarily act as a spoiler and split the votes.
Even so, they said the Umno-led BN coalition will find it more challenging to win now that sometime-ally PAS has decided to join up with former friend Bersatu under the PN banner.
I particularly agree that this is primarily a contest between PH and BN, with PN playing mainly a spoiler or splitter role, perhaps reducing the vote majority for either side. As such, every vote indeed counts very much in this closely contested election,” Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun told Malay Mail.
