Malaysia has cancelled the registration of the country’s main opposition coalition, Perikatan Nasional (PN), amid a leadership dispute between its key parties, dealing a setback to the bloc ahead of elections expected in the coming months.
The Registrar of Societies (RoS) announced the decision on Tuesday, saying PN had failed to provide a satisfactory response to concerns raised last month over its compliance with the coalition’s constitution.
In a statement, the regulator said the reasons provided by the coalition had failed to refute the grounds for cancelling its registration.
The decision comes as PN faces growing divisions between the conservative Islamist party PAS and the Malay nationalist party Bersatu, which are competing for control of the coalition.
Bersatu, led by former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, had lodged a complaint with the RoS, alleging that it was excluded from a PN supreme council meeting in July. The party described the move as a breach of the coalition’s constitution by rival group PAS.
PN Secretary-General Takiyuddin Hassan, a PAS leader, said the coalition would challenge the decision in court.
“PN condemns this action as an attempt to… weaken political opponents ahead of the Malacca election,” he said in a statement.
The cancellation means PN’s component parties, including PAS, Bersatu and smaller political organisations, would be unable to contest elections under a common coalition banner unless the decision is overturned or their registration status changes.
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The development comes ahead of the November 14 election in Malacca state, which will serve as another test for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim after his coalition suffered defeats in two other regional polls earlier this year.
An early general election could also be called amid tensions within Anwar’s multi-party governing alliance.
Anwar leads a government that includes his Pakatan Harapan coalition and Barisan Nasional, headed by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the party of jailed former prime minister Najib Razak.
Despite their partnership at the federal level, Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional remain rivals in some states and are exploring different strategies ahead of the next general election.
