PH has edge over BN, with PN far behind, survey shows

 

An opinion poll of 1,209 people shows that 26% prefer Pakatan Harapan, 24% for Barisan Nasional, 13% for Perikatan Nasional and 31% are unsure.

PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan is slightly ahead of Barisan Nasional in an opinion poll of voters’ preference among the various political coalitions competing in the general election.

The survey by Merdeka Center was held from Oct 19 to Oct 28 and involved 1,209 voters across all ethnic groups.

It found that 26% of respondents supported PH, with BN behind by only 2%, but Perikatan Nasional trailed far behind, with only 13% of respondents supporting the coalition.

Gerakan Tanah Air and others were backed by 2% of respondents.

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However, a majority of respondents (31%) said they had no preference or were unsure.

BN had a clear advantage among Malay respondents, with the Umno-led coalition backed by 32% while PN and PH had 20% and 13% respectively.

The research centre said “overt preference had declined” and 29% of Malay respondents said they had no preference or were unsure of which coalition to vote for.

“It is possible that some of these undecided voters may still vote in favour of the ruling party, but past experience tells us that the majority of them are likely to go for either opposing parties, namely PN or PH.”

With three large coalitions in contention in GE15, Merdeka Center said it was difficult to predict the outcome of the polls. It added that it was possible that no one coalition would be able to form the government.

“Instead, there is a rising possibility that at least three or more parties or coalitions are needed to cooperate to form a government with a simple majority.” - FMT