KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today blamed "technical problems” for youth-based party Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) not being in his coalition’s line-up of candidates for the Melaka state election.

Anwar said this when was asked about Muda’s absence from the opposition coalition PH’s full list of 28 candidates despite Muda previously expressing its intention to collaborate.

"Well, I’m not at liberty to announce everything but the fact that there were discussions held with all the three party leaders, and we were amenable to that initially.

"But I think there were some technical problems that they will announce separately. But we had very fruitful discussions, that was earlier. It didn’t materialise.

"What is important is there are a number of very young leaders from DAP, PKR, Amanah,” he said during a virtual press conference this afternoon.

Among the list of candidates that he announced today was Melaka PKR’s Srikandi chief Farzana Hayani Mohd Nasir, a 21-year-old who will be standing in the Sungai Rambai state seat.

When announcing Farzana Hayani’s candidacy, Anwar had remarked that she is believed to be the youngest candidate in the Melaka state election.

Farzana Hayani is a graduate of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), and holds a diploma in communications and media studies as well as a degree from the university.

Out of the 11 candidates contesting under PH in the PKR-allocated seats, four including Farzana Hayani are aged 40 and below.

Apart from Farzana Hayani, the rest are Kota Melaka PKR vice-chief and marine engineering graduate and entrepreneur Law Bing Haw aged 40 and a marine engineering graduate who is for the Machap Jaya state seat, Masjid Tanah PKR information chief and entrepreneur with a degree in policy and social environment management Mohamad Asri Ibrahim aged 35 for the Lendu state seat, and Melaka PKR youth chief and law degree holder and entrepreneur Prasanth Kumar Brakasam aged 27 for the Rim state seat.