KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Bersama Malaysia (Malaysian United Party) will decide by the end of this week whether to contest in the upcoming Johor state election, said its captain, Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli.

Rafizi said BERSAMA is currently gathering information and awaiting the initial results of its support survey in Johor before making a decision on its participation.

BERSAMA is a newly established political movement launched by Rafizi and former People's Justice Party (PKR) vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

“We need to be able to establish our baseline support in Johor. Based on those numbers established, then we have to map it out with our machinery strength on the ground,” said Rafizi, the former minister of economy and former Pandan Member of Parliament. 

He said the survey findings would help determine whether BERSAMA should contest the election and, if so, the number of seats it would field candidates in.

“So most probably we'll go through that process in the next few days. And hopefully by the end of this week, we will be able to announce with certainty, our participation or non-participation in the Johor state election,” said Rafizi. 

On June 1 (Monday), Johor Menteri Besar and Johor Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi announced the dissolution of the Johor State Legislative Assembly, paving the way for the state's 16th election.

Perikatan Nasional (PN), Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) are expected to contest all 56 seats in the election, which must be held within 60 days of the dissolution.

BN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has said BN is setting its sights on winning more than 40 seats in the state election.

In the 2022 Johor state election, BN secured a sweeping victory by winning 40 of the 56 seats contested, while PH won 12 seats, PN secured three seats, and MUDA (Malaysian United Democratic Alliance) won one seat.