Perikatan Nasional is set to launch its leadership confirmation process on June 20, as the opposition coalition moves to resolve months of uncertainty over its chairmanship following Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s resignation that took effect on January 1. The process will be taken up at a PN central working committee meeting scheduled for next Wednesday, where the coalition’s component parties are expected to formalize Muhyiddin’s departure and begin discussions on appointing a new chairman. PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang confirmed that PAS will determine Bersatu’s future within PN during that meeting, stressing that under the coalition’s constitution the removal or replacement of any component party requires a majority decision by member parties.
The confirmation process comes amid shifting power dynamics within the bloc. After Muhyiddin stepped down, several Bersatu leaders also relinquished their PN posts, including Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, and others. PAS, which is the largest party in Parliament with 43 seats compared with Bersatu’s 25, has asserted its right to take over the coalition leadership and indicated it will put forward its own candidate for chairman. Observers note that whoever leads PN is likely to become the opposition’s prime ministerial candidate in the next general election, which must be held by early 2028.
Hadi has said that PAS holds the chairmanship for now while Bersatu remains a component party, but the coalition intends to review and potentially reverse decisions made during Muhyiddin’s tenure. The upcoming meeting will also give other PN members, including Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party, the opportunity to decide whether to align with PAS or Bersatu as the coalition charts its next course. PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man earlier described leadership talk as premature until Muhyiddin’s resignation is formally endorsed by the supreme council, adding that only after that will the four component parties sit down to determine a successor. The June 20 meeting is therefore expected to end the speculation and set a clearer direction for PN’s leadership structure and long-term stability ahead of upcoming state elections and parliamentary sittings.
