MELAKA, Oct 31 — The 16th Melaka State Election officially begins today, with the nomination process taking place simultaneously at 28 nomination centres across the state.
Prospective candidates must submit their nomination papers to the Election Returning Officers before the list of eligible candidates is officially announced.
Following the announcement, the contest for the people's mandate will enter a 14-day campaigning period, which runs until 11.59 pm on Nov 13, as stipulated by the Election Commission (EC).
The EC has set November 14 as polling day for the Melaka state election, with early voting scheduled for November 10.
It said 189 nomination forms had been purchased as of Thursday (October 29) night, with 45 prospective candidates having paid their deposits.
EC statistics show that 687,697 people are eligible to vote in the state election, including 675,166 ordinary voters, 9,769 members of the armed forces and their spouses, and 2,762 police personnel.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department has forecast clear skies across the state in the morning, setting the scene for a lively nomination day.
The Melaka State Legislative Assembly was officially dissolved with effect from September 23 following the consent of Melaka Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Mohd Ali Rustam.
In the 2021 Melaka state election, Barisan Nasional secured 21 of the 28 seats, allowing it to form the state government, while Pakatan Harapan won five seats and Perikatan Nasional took two.
Meanwhile, all 28 nomination centres for the 16th Melaka State Election opened simultaneously at 9am.
A Bernama check at several nomination centres found supporters of various political parties gathering as early as 7am to show support for their respective candidates, with favourable weather conditions reported across the state.
The process remained open until 10am, after which the Returning Officer announced the closure of the process at the respective nomination centres.
The focus is now on the official declaration of the list of candidates eligible to contest as well as the number of candidates in each State Legislative Assembly seat.
For the latest updates on the 16th Melaka State Election, visit https://election.bernama.com/prn/melaka/2026/.
