Kuala lumpur: Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that the seat distribution between BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) for the forthcoming Sabah State Election has been finalized, with no overlapping seats. According to BERNAMA News Agency, Ahmad Zahid, who also serves as the Deputy Prime Minister, emphasized that there have been no negotiations between BN and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) regarding seat distribution or cooperation for the election, in order to respect the existing PH alliance. Despite this arrangement, Ahmad Zahid predicted that three-cornered contests might be inevitable due to the potential participation of other and emerging parties. He stated, "What has been finalized is BN-PH, and we respect PH-GRS. There are no direct negotiations between BN and GRS. So far, any other discussions to avoid three-cornered contests or seat overlaps have been conducted behind the scenes." He further remarked on the political dynamics in Sabah, noting, "However, I feel tha t since there are too many new parties in Sabah wanting to contest this time, three-cornered fights will certainly be unavoidable, possibly up to eight-cornered. That is up to them, as that is the political landscape in Sabah. BN-PH has no overlapping seats." Ahmad Zahid made these comments after attending the 16th National-Level Civil Defence Student Corps (Kor Sispa) Training Completion Parade and Commissioning Ceremony. He was previously reported as stating that negotiations on cooperation and seat distribution within the BN, PH, and GRS alliance were nearing completion.