KUALA LUMPUR: Discussions on the list of Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidates for the Melaka election are more than 95 per cent complete, said PH Communications director Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.
Fahmi, who is also communications minister, said the coalition would announce its candidates on Oct 24, with the venue to be confirmed later.
"The candidates who will represent Pakatan Harapan will be announced on Oct 24. Discussions at the party level are now more than 90 to 95 per cent complete," he said as a guest on Bernama TV's Ruang Bicara programme today.
He said discussions on the candidate list began at the component party level, after which parties contesting particular seats could hold further discussions with other parties, if necessary.
"If any party entrusted with contesting a particular seat sees a need to discuss the matter with other parties, it is up to them to do so, and ultimately, the final decision will be made by the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council," he said.
Fahmi said the announcement, originally scheduled for today, was postponed to Oct 24 at the request of the Melaka PH leadership.
He dismissed speculation that the postponement was due to difficulties in obtaining a permit from the local authorities or problems with the event venue.
"No… the date was rescheduled at the request of several leaders, including our Pakatan Harapan colleagues in Melaka.
"So, we rescheduled it, and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also PH chairman, is expected to attend on Oct 24," he said.
The media had previously reported that the announcement of PH's candidates and the launch of its election machinery for the 16th Melaka election, scheduled for Oct 18, had been postponed.
The decision sparked questions after claims emerged on social media linking the postponement to difficulties in obtaining a local authority permit for the event venue.
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