Rafizi said the decision to vacate their seats was meant to allow Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul to determine whether by-elections were necessary.

“We believe vacating our seats removes anti-hopping implications, as we are returning the mandate to voters,” he told a press conference.

“I believe there are many other MPs and assemblymen who, once this platform is established, will consider joining. The biggest challenge now is the anti-hopping law, which restricts MPs and assemblymen from acting freely.

“That is why we have to take the lead by vacating our parliamentary seats and returning the mandate to the people. This allows us the freedom to join a new political party.”

Rafizi, who is set to defend the Pandan parliamentary seat under Bersama, said it is still too early to determine how many seats the party would contest.

He said the strategy would be reviewed over the next few months based on public support.

The former economy minister said he decided to join Bersama after a year-long process of internal reflection following the May 2025 PKR elections, during which he lost the deputy presidency to Nurul Izzah Anwar.

He also said his assessment of voter sentiment has shown dissatisfaction with all major political coalitions.

“Change does not happen only through elections. It takes time to build ideas and platforms,” he said, adding that Bersama would focus on youth leadership development and give opportunities to younger candidates.