Umno expects PAS and Bersatu to give way for Slim polls

Umno was confident that their Perikatan Nasional (PN) allies will not stake a claim for candidacy during the upcoming Slim by-election.

Speaking to reporters in Shah Alam, Selangor last night, Umno supreme council member Tajuddin Abdul Rahman said his party had traditionally represented the constituency and will likely defend the seat again.

During the 2018 elections, Umno defended the Slim state seat, winning with 44.8 percent of the votes cast, against challengers from PAS (33 percent) and Bersatu (22 percent).

All three parties are now allies in the PN coalition.

Tajuddin (below) believed that it was unlikely that the three parties would meet each other in any by-election, as Umno and PAS were also in a formal pact called Muafakat Nasional, which in turn was part of the Bersatu-led PN federal government.

"I believe Bersatu will respect (our relationship) and will not field a candidate. Umno should be receiving the full support of all PN parties," he said.

The Slim by-election will soon be called following the death of four-term incumbent Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib who passed away on July 15 at 59 years old.

So far, the only opposition party that has expressed interest participating in the by-election is PKR, while the Pakatan Harapan coalition has yet to make any formal announcements.

Meanwhile, Langkawi MP Dr Mahathir Mohamad's faction is undecided on whether to field a candidate and pledged to consult their opposition allies first.

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