<figure id="attachment_3250749" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3250749" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-3250749 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/6054bc75-muhyiddin-yassin-ahmad-samsuri-mokhtar-fb-060126-1.webp" alt="muhyiddin yassin Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3250749" class="wp-caption-text">Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin recently said Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar being PN chairman did not necessarily mean he was the coalition&#8217;s prime minister candidate, drawing a curt response from the PAS veep. (Facebook pic)</figcaption></figure>
PETALING JAYA: A political analyst has suggested that Perikatan Nasional (PN) hold an internal ballot on its prime minister candidate to prevent the issue from descending into a public spat among component parties.
Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad of Global Asia Consulting said the opposition coalition should present a united front ahead of the next general election (GE16).
He added that an internal vote would show collective discipline within PN in determining its proposed leadership for the country.
&#8220;If PN allows this squabble over the role to continue, it will only cause further internal fractures and tarnish PN&#8217;s credibility as an alternative bloc (to the government),&#8221; he told FMT.
Zaharuddin also suggested that the PN Supreme Council choose from among six candidates: PN chairman Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, Bersatu vice-president Radzi Jidin and Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali.
He said this would be subject to them winning their parliamentary seats.
The issue of PN&#8217;s prime minister candidate or poster boy for GE16 has been a point of contention among components, particularly Bersatu and PAS.
Last year, Bersatu&#8217;s general assembly named Muhyiddin as its prime minister candidate for the next nationwide polls. However, Hadi said PAS wanted PN&#8217;s candidate to be under 70 and physically healthy, an apparent snub of Muhyiddin, who is 78.
PAS has <a href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2025/09/16/we-dont-want-to-unveil-pm-candidate-so-soon-says-pas-no-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declined to name</a> a prime minister candidate, although its youth wing floated <a href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/02/24/pas-youth-floats-samsuri-as-pm-candidate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the idea of Samsuri</a> being nominated soon after his appointment as PN chairman.
Muhyiddin recently said Samsuri being PN chairman did not necessarily mean he was the coalition&#8217;s prime minister candidate.
Samsuri responded curtly, saying: &#8220;What is certain is that Muhyiddin is no longer the prime ministerial candidate.&#8221;
Muhyiddin later said Samsuri should be given the chance to be PN&#8217;s candidate for the top post in GE16, despite &#8220;lacking experience&#8221;.
PN chairman should automatically be PM candidate
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said it was odd that PN had not yet settled the issue, adding that the leader holding the chairman&#8217;s post should automatically be seen as the candidate for prime minister.
&#8220;It is quite peculiar for a coalition of political parties to appoint a chairman who is not prime minister material. The chairman of a coalition is conventionally its poster boy,&#8221; he added.
However, Azmi said there might be apprehensions over Samsuri&#8217;s experience, which could be seen as limited to serving as Terengganu menteri besar.

MatchPoint Times

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