PONTIAN, March 7 — Umno has yet to make any decision regarding the form of cooperation or seat allocation for the next Johor state election, said state Umno deputy chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.

He said that no official negotiations have been held either at the state or central level on the matter.

“Johor has not made any decision on how we will contest the state polls,” he told Bernama.

In the last state election, Pakatan Harapan (PH) won 12 of the 56 seats contested, Barisan Nasional 40, Perikatan Nasional three and Muda one seat.

Recently, PKR and Amanah announced that they had identified 28 and 20 seats, respectively to contest in the election.

Yesterday, Johor PH set up four committees, including Johor Madani, as preparation for the next state and general elections.

Ahmad said every party has the right to express its views on the number of seats it wishes to contest as long as official negotiations have not been finalised.

“Once negotiations are held and agreed upon by the respective party leaderships, that decision will be followed,” he said.

Ahmad said that he was of the view that Umno should defend the 40 seats the party won in the 2022 Johor state election, but stressed that this was not the party’s official stand.

He also expressed support for the proposal that state elections in several states be held simultaneously to reduce costs and avoid a prolonged period of politicking.

He said the proposal involves the possibility of the Johor, Melaka and Sarawak state elections being held at the same time. — Bernama