The 16th Melaka state election is now less than three weeks away, and the clock is ticking for the parties. The Election Commission has fixed polling day for Saturday, November 14, 2026, with nomination day on Saturday, October 31 and early voting on Tuesday, November 10. The campaign will run for 14 days from nomination and end at 11.59pm on November 13. The state assembly was dissolved on September 23, a day after Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh announced the move.
A total of 687,697 voters are on the electoral roll, made up of 675,166 ordinary voters, 9,769 military personnel and their spouses, and 2,762 police personnel. There are 28 state seats, 28 nomination and vote-counting centres, and 11,175 election workers. The EC estimates the cost of the polls at about RM28.45 million and has invited government agencies and non-governmental organisations to act as observers from nomination day until results are announced.
In 2021, Barisan Nasional (BN) won 21 of the 28 seats and formed the government on its own, Pakatan Harapan (PH) took five and Perikatan Nasional (PN) two. Since then the political landscape has shifted. DAP withdrew from the state administration on July 14 over an amendment to the Melaka constitution that would allow non-elected members in the state assembly, and all three major coalitions have said they are open to cooperating with one another. This will be the third state election this year, after Johor and Negeri Sembilan, which BN won handily, according to The Edge.
New entrants are also in the mix. Parti Bersama Malaysia was the first party to publish its list and said it would contest 15 of the 28 seats. Parties are also watching turnout, since early voting and postal ballots could matter in close seats.
What to watch: BN’s candidate announcement on October 28, final seat allocations among coalitions, which logos PN-linked parties use on nomination day, and whether pacts emerge between traditional rivals before the campaign begins.
Sources: Election Commission announcements via The Star, theSun, The Edge, NST, Bernama (October 7–25, 2026). Compiled October 27, 2026.
No comments:
Post a Comment