UMNO’s Supreme Council, chaired by party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Aug 28, 2026, granted state leadership the mandate to hold discussions and negotiations with political parties interested in cooperating for the next election [1, 2]. UMNO Secretary-General Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki underlined that "any negotiations with political parties on cooperation in the coming elections must be based on sincerity and trust, not threats or intimidation" [3].

The party also made clear it will not shield any members or leaders involved in misconduct. Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said UMNO "remains consistent in refusing to defend any misconduct, malpractice or wrongdoing by any party, including party members and leaders, who must be brought before the courts through due legal process" [4, 2]. He emphasized the presumption of innocence, stating that "an individual cannot be considered guilty until they have been charged, tried and convicted by a court" and that "any attempt to humiliate or insult someone, including by creating the perception that an individual detained for investigation is already guilty, is contrary to the principles of justice" [5, 2].

At the meeting, UMNO extended an official invitation to PAS leaders to attend the 2026 UMNO General Assembly scheduled from Sept 9 to 12 at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur [1, 4, 2]. The day before, on Sept 8, three programmes will take place, including the Malay Education Convention, the Malaysian Islamic Scholars Convention/Multaqa, and the Laman Wanita Kreatif (Creative Women's Pavilion) [1, 4, 2].

UMNO took note of studies showing that many Malays aspire to Muslim unity and the prioritization of Malay interests as the foundation for political stability [6]. Barisan Nasional (BN) plans to defend all 21 seats it won in the 2021 Melaka state election while remaining open to cooperation with Pakatan Harapan (PH) or Perikatan Nasional (PN) [6]. However, PAS has held preliminary talks with UMNO about possible BN-PN collaboration for the Melaka election but without Bersatu. PAS president warned that PN would abandon cooperation with BN if BN aligns with PH [6].

The Melaka state assembly's term expires on Dec 27, 2026, setting the deadline for election preparations [6].