2026 opposition realignment
The 2026 changes in Perikatan Nasional leadership and the PAS–Bersatu relationship, and what they mean for the next general election.
What happened
PN’s leadership changed before the June split. Muhyiddin announced that he would leave the chairmanship effective 1 January 2026, and PN’s Supreme Council appointed PAS vice-president and Terengganu menteri besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar as his successor on 22 February.
On 8 June, PAS ended political cooperation with Bersatu. PAS said it wanted to consider electoral arrangements promoting Muslim unity, while Muhyiddin said the following day that Bersatu would remain in PN. This created an important distinction for voters: parties may still describe themselves as being in the same coalition while no longer cooperating politically in the same way.
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim said the decision did not end the parties’ relationship or friendship. That statement did not, however, settle the practical questions of how PAS and Bersatu would divide seats, choose candidates, or campaign in GE16.
The split then showed up on ballots.
- Johor, 11 July
- PN contested 33 seats and won none, with PAS and Bersatu campaigning separately and PAS directing supporters to BN where PN was absent.
- 14 July
- Parti Wawasan Negara formally joined PN after a Registrar of Societies-approved name change.
- Negeri Sembilan, 1 August
- PAS and other PN components contested alongside BN and the two formed the state government together, while Bersatu ran under its own logo and won nothing.
Whether these state-level arrangements carry into GE16 remains unsettled.
The dispute then moved to whether Bersatu is in PN at all.
- 17 July
- Muhyiddin said Bersatu would form a new coalition after the Negeri Sembilan poll, with Putra, Urimai and other IPR parties.
- 25 July
- Muhyiddin said the PN constitution requires the consensus of all component parties to remove one.
- 7 August
- Hadi said the same constitution puts Bersatu out automatically, because it had announced a new coalition of its own.
Both men are describing a document this page cannot check, and no PN Supreme Council decision settling it has been reported as at 14 August 2026, so a voter should treat "Bersatu is in PN" and "Bersatu is out of PN" as the two parties' positions rather than as a settled fact. GE16 had not been called as at that date.
What the sources say
Parti Wawasan Negara identifies itself as a PN component party and, while preparing for elections, has appointed state and federal-territory coordinators.
30 December 2025
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced on 30 December 2025 that he would resign as PN chairman effective 1 January 2026.
22 February 2026
PN’s Supreme Council approved Muhyiddin’s resignation and appointed Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar as PN chairman on 22 February 2026.
Samsuri was a PAS vice-president and Terengganu menteri besar when he became PN chairman.
8 June 2026
PAS announced on the night of 8 June 2026 that it had ended its political cooperation with Bersatu after a special meeting of its Central Working Committee.
PAS said it wanted to explore electoral arrangements intended to promote Muslim unity ahead of state elections and the 16th general election (GE16).
On 9 June, Muhyiddin said Bersatu would remain in PN despite PAS ending political cooperation with it.
PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said on 10 June that ending political cooperation did not mean ending PAS’s relationship or friendship with Bersatu.
14 July 2026
Parti Wawasan Negara formally joined PN on 14 July 2026 after the Registrar of Societies approved the change of Parti Cinta Malaysia’s name to Parti Wawasan Negara on 6 July.
11 July 2026
The split's first electoral test came at the Johor state election of 11 July 2026: PN contested 33 seats (Bersatu 16, PAS 11, MIPP 5, Pejuang 1) and won none, PAS and Bersatu campaigned separately, and PAS instructed members and supporters to vote for Barisan Nasional in areas PN was not contesting.
1 August 2026
In the Negeri Sembilan state election of 1 August 2026, PAS and other PN components contested alongside Barisan Nasional, which won 18 of 36 seats to PN's 7, and the two formed the state government together; Bersatu contested 24 seats under its own logo and won none.
17 July 2026
Launching Bersatu's Negeri Sembilan candidates on 17 July 2026, Muhyiddin said that after the state election Bersatu "will no longer be alone" and would form a new coalition, naming Ibrahim Ali's Putra, P Ramasamy's Urimai and other parties in the Ikatan Prihatin Rakyat (IPR) grouping as intended partners.
25 July 2026
On 25 July 2026 Muhyiddin said Bersatu could not be removed from PN unilaterally: "Under Perikatan's constitution, to sack any party, you must get the consensus of all members."
7 August 2026
On 7 August 2026 PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang said Bersatu had already ceased to be a PN member: "They have already stated their intention to want to form another 'team'. They announced it themselves. They are automatically out."
Where accounts differ
No published PN Supreme Council resolution defining Bersatu’s status after PAS ended political cooperation with it has been located; PAS and Bersatu’s public positions remain their respective claims rather than a verified PN constitutional outcome.
searched: PN, PAS and Bersatu statements and contemporaneous news reporting
Whether Bersatu is still a component party of PN is disputed between the two parties. Hadi says the PN constitution provides that a party which joins or forms another coalition automatically ceases to be a member; Muhyiddin says the same constitution requires the consensus of all component parties before any member can be removed. The text of the PN constitution is not publicly available, and no PN Supreme Council decision settling the point has been reported as at 14 August 2026.
Political analyst Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia characterised the PAS–Bersatu split as the beginning of a broader opposition realignment before the next electoral cycle.
Analysts quoted by the New Straits Times attributed the pre-split tensions to changing power relations within PN and to what they described as Muhyiddin’s reduced influence; this is an interpretation, not an official finding by PN or its parties.
Analysts quoted by Free Malaysia Today said Bersatu might need to rebuild its party identity, grassroots machinery, or alliances after PAS’s decision; these are forecasts rather than confirmed party decisions.
It remains unclear how PN’s component parties will translate PAS’s end of political cooperation with Bersatu into candidate selection, seat negotiations, and campaigning for GE16.
Common questions
Why did PAS and Bersatu stop political cooperation?
PAS ended political cooperation with Bersatu on 8 June 2026 after a special meeting of its Central Working Committee. PAS said it wanted to explore electoral arrangements intended to promote Muslim unity before state elections and GE16. The decision did not, according to PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, end the parties' relationship or friendship.
Who became PN chairman after Muhyiddin?
Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar became PN chairman on 22 February 2026, after PN's Supreme Council approved Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's resignation. Muhyiddin had announced on 30 December 2025 that he would resign as chairman effective 1 January 2026. Samsuri was a PAS vice-president and Terengganu menteri besar when he took the role.
Did PAS and Bersatu contest separately after the split?
Yes, PAS and Bersatu campaigned separately at the Johor state election on 11 July 2026. PN contested 33 seats and won none, while PAS told its members and supporters to vote for Barisan Nasional in areas where PN was not contesting. In the Negeri Sembilan election on 1 August, Bersatu used its own logo and contested 24 seats, winning none.
Is Bersatu still part of PN?
PAS and Bersatu have given different answers. PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang said Bersatu was automatically out of PN after announcing plans for another coalition. Muhyiddin said Bersatu could not be removed without the consensus of every PN component party. The PN constitution is not publicly available, and no PN Supreme Council decision settling the issue had been reported as at 14 August 2026.
What happened to Bersatu in the Negeri Sembilan election?
Bersatu contested 24 seats under its own logo in the Negeri Sembilan state election on 1 August 2026 and won none. PAS and other PN components contested alongside Barisan Nasional; BN won 18 of 36 seats to PN's seven, and BN and PN then formed the state government together.
Still open
- What the PN constitution actually says about the loss of membership and about expulsion. The coalition's constitution is not publicly available, so both Hadi's reading and Muhyiddin's are recorded as claims.
- Which parties will actually be in Bersatu's proposed new coalition, what it will be called, and when it will be registered.
- Will PAS and Bersatu contest against each other in GE16, or reach state-by-state arrangements?
- Whether PN will make a seat-allocation decision or assign Parti Wawasan Negara a parliamentary role.
- Whether any new PAS cooperation with other parties will become a formal national electoral pact before GE16.