Umno, BN to stay out of Sarawak election

The 16th Sarawak state election is scheduled for December 12. According to the Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the coalition will not participate in the upcoming polls. Zahid disclosed that Umno has reached an agreement with Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), the lead party in the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition, to refrain from fielding candidates in the Sarawak state election.

This understanding, he emphasized, is clear: "BN has no intention of contesting any state assembly seats in Sarawak because this is the understanding Umno and PBB have," reported Harian Metro. Zahid made these remarks to reporters following his attendance at the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Deepavali open house in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.

The nomination process for the Sarawak election commenced on November 28, and early voting commenced on December 8. The full list of 82 GPS candidates is anticipated to be announced on November 25. The BN has never established a state chapter in Sarawak and has consistently adhered to the agreement of not contesting state and parliamentary seats in the region.

Notably, Sarawak-based parties that were once BN components—PBB, the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), and Parti Demokratik Progresif (PDP)—left the coalition following their defeat in the 2018 general election. These parties subsequently united under PBB's leadership to form GPS.