Credit : Bernama
MELAKA, October 31, 2026 – The Duyong seat will see a straight fight in the 16th Melaka state election between Barisan Nasional (BN) incumbent Datuk Mohd Noor Helmy Abdul Halem and Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Poo Long Suan, Bernama reported.
The national news agency reported on X that the one-on-one contest for the N21 Duyong seat was confirmed after nomination closed this morning. Both names appear on the Election Commission’s (SPR) official candidate dashboard for the seat.
Duyong returning officer Mohd Azri Mohideen Abdul Kadir said two candidates had handed in their nomination papers at the nomination centre at Kompleks Japerun Duyong, MalaysiaGazette reported. “After checking the nomination papers, I am satisfied and have decided that no nomination paper is rejected,” he said when he announced the confirmed candidates at about 11 am.
Mohd Noor Helmy handed in his papers at 9.03 am, followed by Poo three minutes later at 9.06 am, according to MalaysiaGazette and Malaysia Tribune. On the ballot paper, Poo is listed as candidate number one and Mohd Noor Helmy as number two, the two portals said.
A seat won by 200 votes
Duyong was one of the closest contests in the last state election. In the 2021 Melaka state election, Mohd Noor Helmy held the seat with 4,684 votes against 4,484 votes for the then DAP candidate Damian Yeo Shen Li, a majority of 200 votes, MalaysiaGazette and Malaysia Tribune reported.
Poo, a member of DAP Melaka’s complaints committee, now carries PH’s bid to win the seat back from BN, the reports said.
Arrival at the nomination centre
Mohd Noor Helmy arrived at the nomination centre at about 8.35 am, accompanied by UMNO secretary-general Datuk Wira Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki and supporters carrying flags and banners, Melaka Hari Ini reported. Pictures shared by Bernama showed the two candidates shaking hands and giving a thumbs-up at the centre. Each candidate now has a 14-day campaign to win voters’ support, the portal said.
State broadcaster RTM reported that the returning officer announced the close of nominations at 10 am.
Line-ups named a week earlier
BN named Mohd Noor Helmy to defend Duyong when it announced its candidates on October 24, Bernama reported at the time. On the same night, PH chairman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim named Poo of DAP for N21 Duyong when he announced PH’s candidates at Stadium Hang Jebat in Krubong, Bernama reported.
Across the state, the SPR’s official count lists 24 PH candidates, 23 from BN, 16 from Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama), seven from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), five from Perikatan Nasional (PN), one from Putra and three independents. In the 2021 Melaka state election, BN won 21 of the 28 seats and formed the state government, while PH won five and PN two, Bernama has reported.
Duyong is one of several seats in the state where BN and PH meet head-on, with straight fights also confirmed today in seats such as Tanjung Bidara and Merlimau, according to the SPR’s candidate list.
The SPR has said 79 candidates are contesting the 28 seats of the Melaka State Legislative Assembly, with 687,697 voters eligible to cast their ballots on the SPR’s fixed dates of November 10 for early voting and November 14 for polling.
Credit : Bernama
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