MELAKA, Nov 13 – The 14-day campaign for the 16th Melaka State Election will officially end at 11.59 pm tonight. Voters will head to polling stations tomorrow to elect representatives for the state’s 28-seat Legislative Assembly.
According to the Election Commission (EC), 675,166 ordinary voters are eligible to cast their ballots on polling day.
A total of 240 polling stations will operate across Melaka. These centres will have 1,213 polling streams to manage the voting process.
Voting will begin at 8 am and close at 6 pm.
Nearly 688,000 Registered Voters
The state election involves 687,697 registered voters. This figure includes military personnel, their spouses and police personnel who were eligible for early voting.
Early voting took place on Tuesday. Of the 9,917 eligible early voters, 9,417 cast their ballots. This represents a turnout of 94.96 per cent.
Another 2,614 voters cast their ballots through postal voting.
79 Candidates Contest 28 Seats
A total of 79 candidates are competing for the 28 state constituencies. They represent several political parties and independent groups.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) is contesting the highest number of seats, with 24 candidates. Barisan Nasional (BN) follows with 23 candidates.
The other contestants include Parti Bersama Malaysia with 16 candidates, Bersatu with seven and Perikatan Nasional (PN) with five.
Parti Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia is contesting one seat. Three independent candidates are also in the race.
Election Follows State Assembly Dissolution
The election follows the dissolution of the 15th Melaka State Legislative Assembly on Sept 23. The Yang Dipertua Negeri of Melaka, Tun Mohd Ali Rustam, consented to the dissolution.
In the previous state election, held on Nov 20, 2021, BN won 21 of the 28 seats. Pakatan Harapan secured five seats, while Perikatan Nasional won two.
With campaigning ending tonight, candidates will make their final appeals to voters before polling begins tomorrow.
The results will determine the political direction of Melaka for the next state administration.
Source : BERNAMA | Rewritten By Minutesmy
