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BERSAMA and Bersatu have emerged from the Melaka state election empty-handed, with neither party winning any of the constituencies they contested.
For Bersama, the result is particularly difficult to overlook.
The party fielded 16 candidates but failed to secure a breakthrough, extending a disappointing run after suffering a similar fate in Johor in July, where it contested 15 seats without winning any.
Its closest contest came in Bemban, where its candidate, Dr Muhammad Solehin Saleh, polled more than 3,000 votes to finish behind Perikatan Nasional’s Dr Yadzil Yaakub, according to unofficial results.
The party had entered the Melaka contest hoping to establish itself as another option for voters, particularly those in urban and suburban constituencies who had traditionally supported Pakatan Harapan (PH).
That ambition put it directly against PH in 14 constituencies, including all five seats the coalition won in the 2021 state election — Ayer Keroh, Bukit Katil, Kesidang, Kota Laksamana and Bandar Hilir.
But the strategy failed to deliver the electoral gains Bersama needed to demonstrate that it could compete meaningfully against established parties.
Even in Bukit Katil, where PH is set to lose to PN, Bersama did not emerge as a significant contender.
The seat is expected to change hands by a substantial majority.
Bersama had earlier sought to temper expectations, with one of its key leaders, Wong Chen, saying the party was targeting 12% of the popular vote in Melaka, up from the 6% it obtained in Johor.
The party is already looking beyond the state election, with ambitions to contest as many as 20 parliamentary seats in the next general election, which must be held by early 2028.
Whether it can build sufficient support to make that ambition viable is now a more pressing question.
Bersatu’s failure to win any of its seven contests presents a different set of problems.
The party, led by former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, went into the election without the backing of its usual PN partner, PAS, following the deterioration in relations between the two parties.
It fielded candidates in Lendu, Sungai Udang, Pantai Kundor, Klebang, Pengkalan Batu, Ayer Keroh and Bemban.
Among them was former deputy Senate president Datuk Seri Mohamad Ali Mohamad, who contested in Klebang.
One of the more closely watched aspects of Bersatu’s campaign was its decision to go up against PH in three constituencies — Ayer Keroh, Klebang and Pengkalan Batu — despite the parties’ previous electoral arrangement.
The contests raised the possibility of competing Malay votes affecting the balance in those seats.
However, the results offered no clear evidence that Bersatu had been able to turn that strategy into an advantage.
DAP is on course to retain Ayer Keroh, while BN looks set to take both Klebang and Pengkalan Batu.
Elsewhere, Bersatu struggled to make an impression against its opponents, with the party unable to translate its presence on the ballot into a convincing electoral challenge.
Although more of its candidates appear likely to retain their deposits than in Negeri Sembilan, where only one managed to meet the required threshold, that offers little comfort against the bigger picture of another election without a seat.
The defeat also comes at an awkward time for Bersatu as uncertainty over its relationship with PAS raises questions about its position in the opposition coalition ahead of the next general election.
Muhyiddin’s party has indicated that it is open to working with other political forces, including PH.
But a return to cooperation with the coalition that once formed the federal government with Bersatu is far from straightforward.
DAP leaders have been particularly resistant to the prospect, a position shaped by the events of February 2020, when the Sheraton Move brought down the PH administration less than two years after its historic victory in the 2018 general election.
The political manoeuvre, involving Muhyiddin and former PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, remains a defining moment in the breakdown of trust between the former allies.
For both Bersatu and Bersama, Melaka has offered little encouragement. But the challenges confronting them are not identical.
Bersama must prove that its electoral ambitions extend beyond fielding candidates in constituencies already dominated by established parties.
Bersatu, meanwhile, faces the more immediate task of determining its political future, rebuilding its electoral standing and deciding whether it can remain competitive without the support of its former allies.
With the next general election approaching, neither party can afford to treat another round of electoral losses as merely a temporary setback. – November 14, 2026
