MELAKA, Nov 19 — Melaka Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen fully supports the coalition’s decision to name Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin as Melaka chief minister candidate if it can go on to win the state election tomorrow.

All parties must respect the decision taken by the PN central leadership, he said here today.

Yesterday, PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced Mas Ermieyati as the Melaka chief minister candidate if PN gets the mandate to form the next state government.

Mohd Rafiq, who is also PN’s candidate for the Telok Mas seat, said talk that he was sidelined as chief minister candidate due to lack of support from the party’s grassroots was mere speculation, adding that he had also been campaigning very hard to secure the coalition’s win.

On PN’s chances, Mohd Rafiq was confident that despite making their debut in Melaka, the coalition was more than capable of pulling of a surprise.

PN is contesting all 28 seats in the state election, with Bersatu fielding candidates in 15 constituencies, Pas eight and Gerakan five.

As for Mohd Rafiq himself, he is in a four-cornered fight against Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Datuk Ashraf Mukhlis Minghat, Datuk Abdul Razak Abdul Rahman of Barisan Nasional (BN) and Independent candidate, Muhammad Ariff Adly Mohammad.

In the 14th general election, the seat was won by Datuk Noor Effandi Ahmad (Bersatu) who had then contested on a PH ticket. He won by a 1,288 vote majority. — Bernama