KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Harapan (PH) has decided that it will not contest the Mahkota state seat by-election in Johor.
PH secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail confirmed that the coalition supported Barisan Nasional (BN) in contesting the seat.
This decision was reached during a meeting chaired by PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last week.
"It was agreed that PH would respect BN's decision to field a candidate for the Mahkota seat, as BN did in the Pulai parliamentary by-election and the Simpang Jeram state seat by-election in September 2023.
"PH will fully support and endorse this effort, as retaining the Mahkota seat is a priority for the unity government," said Saifuddin.
The decision comes amid public disputes between Amanah and Umno leaders over who should contest the seat following the death of the previous assemblywoman, Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain.
Amanah's Kluang chief, Dr Mohd Zuhan Mohd Zain, argued that Amanah should be allowed to contest, given their past success in Mahkota in the 14th General Election (GE14) and the 2022 state election.
In response, Johor Umno Youth chief Noor Azleen Ambros criticised Amanah's claims as opportunistic and insensitive, arguing that they disregarded the feelings of Sharifah Azizah's family.
Sharifah Azizah died on Aug 2 due to internal bleeding at Enche' Besar Hajjah Khalsom Hospital in Kluang, Johor.
In the 2022 Johor state election, she secured the Mahkota seat with a majority of 5,166 votes in a four-way contest.
The Election Commission has scheduled Sept 14 for candidate nominations and Sept 28 for polling in the Mahkota by-election.