BN to contest seats with high chance of victory in Sabah polls

BARISAN Nasional (BN) Sabah has confirmed that it will not contest all 73 seats in the Sabah election (PRN17), but will instead focus on seats with a high potential of victory.

Deputy Prime Minister and BN Chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the strategy includes collaborating with political groups known as the 'third force' in the state to ensure victory in selected seats.

"Importantly, these seats are seats with a high probability of victory, and we will collaborate with the 'third force' in  Sabah to ensure these seats will be in favour of BN candidates," he said.

However, he did not specify in detail or refer to who or which party the 'third force' was.

Ahmad Zahid added that BN is confident of surpassing the 14 seats it won in the previous election, with additional new seats being identified.

At the same time, negotiations with Pakatan Harapan (PH) have also reached an initial agreement to avoid clashes, but further details will only be finalised after the dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) is officially done. - September 20, 2025