Melaka Election: Ab Rauf, Party Leaders Cast Votes as Polling Gets Under Way
Bria AI 
Credit : BERNAMA's X
MELAKA, November 14, 2026 – Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ab Rauf Yusoh cast his ballot early on polling day in the 16th Melaka state election, as candidates and party leaders from both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) turned out at polling centres across the state on Saturday morning.
Ab Rauf, who chairs BN in Melaka and is defending the Tanjung Bidara (N.02) seat, finished voting at 8.38am at Sekolah Kebangsaan Jeram in Masjid Tanah, Alor Gajah, Bernama reported. He was accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Zuriyah Ab Aziz, who voted at the same centre. Speaking to reporters afterwards, he said he hoped every Melaka voter would come out to choose their representatives.
The chief minister is in a straight fight in Tanjung Bidara with PH’s Mohd Yunazri Mustamiri, who is contesting an election for the first time. At the previous state election in 2021, Ab Rauf won the seat in a three-cornered contest with a majority of 364 votes, defeating Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin and PH’s Zainal Hassan.
On the eve of polling, Ab Rauf had said he was leaving the decision entirely to voters, and urged them to bring their identity cards and vote early because rain was expected in the afternoon, according to Bernama.
On the PH side, Adam Adli Abdul Halim, the acting chairman of PKR’s Melaka leadership council and Deputy Higher Education Minister, was among the earliest voters at Sekolah Kebangsaan Dato’ Demang Hussin in Bukit Katil. He arrived at about 7.45am and queued with other voters before entering the polling centre, the news agency said.
Bukit Katil is a four-cornered contest between the incumbent, PH Melaka chairman Adly Zahari, PN’s Muhammad Ridzuan Mohd Sarif, Dr Aliza Che Amran of Parti Bersama Malaysia and independent candidate Abu Bakar Sabudin. Adly, who is Deputy Defence Minister, was expected to vote at 4pm after visiting polling centres in the constituency, Bernama reported.
DAP Melaka publicity secretary Kerk Chee Yee, PH’s candidate for Ayer Keroh, voted at about 8.20am at SJK (C) Notre Dame, where he is registered as a voter in the Kota Laksamana constituency. He reminded voters to check the location of their polling centre beforehand to avoid confusion, particularly those still relying on old locations.
Kerk, 34, who has held Ayer Keroh for two terms, faces a four-cornered fight against PN’s Datuk Seri Michael Gan, Muhammad Muhaimin Lau Abdullah of Parti Bersama Malaysia and Mohd Hamnaim Mohamad of Bersatu.
In Machap Jaya, PH candidate Datuk Ginie Lim Siew Lin voted at 8.10am at SJK (C) Machap Umboo in Alor Gajah. The incumbent, BN’s Datuk Ngwe Hee Sem, arrived to vote at about 9.10am at SK Rendah Agama JAIM in Kampung Ayer, Machap. The seat is a three-cornered contest that also includes Prasanth Kumar Brakasam of Parti Bersama Malaysia.
Polling opened at 8am at 240 polling centres with 1,213 voting streams and is due to close at 6pm, with 675,166 ordinary voters eligible to cast their ballots for the 28 state assembly seats, according to the Election Commission (SPR). A total of 79 candidates are contesting. The SPR’s real-time turnout dashboard, checked at 10.20am, showed an overall turnout of 22.21 per cent, or 152,712 of 687,697 registered voters, including early voters; the figure is a rolling reading and will change through the day.
Credit : BERNAMA
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