BERSATU and Umno are set to contest against each other in 12 seats in the Malacca elections. 

The biggest fight involves Bersatu Wanita chief and Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin versus Malacca Umno chief Ab Rauf Yusoh in Tg Bidara. PKR’s Zainal Hassan will also be contesting here. 

Mas Ermieyati, the former Puteri Umno chief and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, defected to Bersatu in 2018. She is also widely speculated to be Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) candidate for chief minister.

Bersatu’s ally PAS, meanwhile, will be fighting against their Muafakat Nasional partner Umno in seven seats. 

Umno, Bersatu and PAS are allies at the federal level, where the government is headed by Umno vice president Ismail Sabri Yaakob. 

Two of former Umno elected reps are contesting under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) banner this time – former Malacca chief minister Idris Haron in Asahan while Nor Azman Hassan is in the Pantai Kundor state seat.

They will be facing candidates from their former party Umno as well as from Bersatu (Pantai Kundor) and Gerakan (Asahan). 

PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim earlier today announced that Idris and Nor Azman have been accepted as PKR and Amanah members respectively. 

Idris is expected to be PH’s chief minister candidate, although the election campaign is led by former Malacca chief minister Adly Zahari from Amanah.

Their participation has pushed out youth-based Malaysian United Democratic Alliance from the Malacca elections after not being able to reach an understanding with PH. 

Likewise, PH partner DAP had also expressed its displeasure with the pact offering seats to the reps who were involved in bringing down the state government last month. 

DAP was not present when Anwar announced the list of the pact’s candidates today. 

DAP announced its candidates yesterday, without the presence of Anwar and leaders from Amanah.

PAS is also set to face its splinter party Amanah, of PH, in five seats. 

Gerakan, also from PN, will be vying for Chinese votes in four of the five seats it is contesting – all against DAP and MCA. 

MCA, from BN, will be fielding seven candidates while ally MIC will be contesting in one seat. 

The Umno-led BN, PN and PH are set to face each other in all 28 seats. 

Adding to that, Ibrahim Ali-led Malay nationalist party, Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia, is also fielding five candidates.

Several independents are also expected to throw in their names to the ring on nomination day on Monday, making the state polls multi-cornered in all seats.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Pejuang will not be taking part in these elections.

Malacca voters will go to the polls on November 20. – November 6, 2021.