SABAH POLLS: DAP SEEKS TO AVOID SEAT CLASHES WITH COALITION PARTNERS

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 8 (Bernama) -- DAP aims to prevent contesting the same seats as its coalition partners in the 17th Sabah state election on Nov 29.

Its secretary-general, Anthony Loke, said the party values harmony within the coalition and will make every effort to prevent seat clashes, particularly with major parties in the government.

He said discussions on seat allocations with Barisan Nasional (BN) have been finalised, ensuring no overlap in seats between the two parties, while talks with other coalition partners are still ongoing.

“We respect the harmony in our coalition. There is still one week before nomination day on Nov 15, so we are making this early announcement to allow our candidates to make their preparations.

“We are trying to avoid any major clashes with our main coalition partners. We hope there is still room to reach an understanding," he told a press conference after launching the DAP Election Machinery and announcing the party’s candidates for the Sabah state polls here today.

At the event, Loke announced seven of the eight seats DAP will contest, with the candidate for one interior constituency to be revealed later, as discussions and consensus with coalition partners are still ongoing.

“The initial agreement is that we will contest that seat, but there are still requests for further discussions. We have no issue in continuing those talks,” he said.

Loke said DAP has carefully assessed the constituency in question and noted that the party has previously represented the area and holds a good performance record there.

He said the DAP intends to field a well-regarded local female candidate, and internal assessments indicate she has a strong chance of winning.

“We believe she has the highest chance of winning. The decision within the party has been made, but we will respect our coalition partners by delaying the announcement until we reach a mutual understanding,” he said.

-- BERNAMA