Melaka polls: Battle for 28 seats starts tomorrow as nominations open

MELAKA, Oct 30 — The 16th Melaka State Election begins tomorrow with the nomination of candidates, setting the stage for a 14-day campaign as contenders vie for the 28 state assembly seats.

All eyes will be on the 28 nomination centres across the state, where candidates from the participating political parties are expected to submit their nomination papers between 9 am and 10 am, after which returning officers will announce the final list of eligible candidates.

The Election Commission (EC) has set November 14 as polling day for the Melaka state election, with early voting scheduled for November 10.

According to EC statistics, a total of 687,697 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the election, comprising 675,166 ordinary voters, 9,769 military personnel and their spouses, and 2,762 police personnel.

With less than 24 hours to go before nomination day, the electoral contest is taking shape as political parties unveil their respective candidate lists, featuring a mix of incumbents, new faces and former leaders making a comeback.

Pakatan Harapan (PH) has announced that it will contest 24 state assembly seats in the election, with PKR fielding 10 candidates and DAP and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) seven each.

Barisan Nasional (BN) will contest 22 seats, with Umno fielding 18 candidates, MCA three and MIC one.

Perikatan Nasional (PN), a strategic partner of BN, has so far named candidates for five seats, comprising two each from PAS and Parti Wawasan Negara and one from Gerakan, while the candidate for another seat has yet to be finalised.

Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) is set to contest eight seats, while Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) has announced plans to field 16 candidates.

Meanwhile, EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said 189 nomination forms had been sold for the Melaka state election as of last night, with 45 prospective candidates having paid their deposits.

EC secretary Datuk Khairul Shahril Idrus had earlier said nomination papers must be submitted to the returning officer by the candidate, proposer and seconder, or by any two or one of them.

He also advised prospective candidates to complete the necessary forms, have them checked by the returning officer’s office or the Melaka State Election Office before nomination day, and pay the required deposits in advance.

The deposit payment receipt must be presented on nomination day as proof of payment, while candidates representing political parties must also submit a letter authorising the use of their respective party symbols when filing their nomination papers, Khairul Shahril said.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Meteorological Department has forecast favourable weather conditions across Melaka throughout the day tomorrow.

The Melaka State Legislative Assembly was officially dissolved on September 23 with the consent of the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Melaka, Tun Mohd Ali Rustam.

In the 2021 Melaka state election, BN won 21 of the 28 seats contested to form the state government, while PH secured five seats and PN two. — Bernama

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马六甲，10月30日讯——第16届马六甲州选举将于明日开始，首先进行候选人提名，随后将展开为期14天的竞选活动，候选人将角逐28个州议会席位。

所有人的目光都将聚焦在全州的 28 个提名中心，预计各参选政党的候选人将在上午 9 点至 10 点之间提交提名文件，之后选举官员将公布最终的合格候选人名单。

选举委员会（EC）已将11月14日定为马六甲州选举的投票日，提前投票定于11月10日举行。

根据选举委员会的统计数据，共有 687,697 名选民有资格在选举中投票，其中包括 675,166 名普通选民、9,769 名军人及其配偶，以及 2,762 名警察。

距离提名日不到 24 小时，随着各政党公布各自的候选人名单，选举竞争逐渐成形，名单中既有现任官员，也有新面孔，还有卷土重来的昔日领导人。

希望联盟（PH）宣布将在选举中竞选24个州议会席位，人民公正党（PKR）将派出10名候选人，民主行动党（DAP）和国家诚信党（Amanah）将各派出7名候选人。

国民阵线（国阵）将竞选 22 个席位，巫统派出 18 名候选人，马华公会派出 3 名，国大党派出 1 名。

国民联盟（PN）是国阵的战略伙伴，目前已提名了五个席位的候选人，其中伊斯兰党和国家希望党各提名两名，民政党提名一名，而另一个席位的候选人尚未最终确定。

马来西亚团结党（Bersatu）将角逐 8 个席位，而马来西亚团结党（Bersama）则宣布计划派出 16 名候选人。

与此同时，选举委员会主席拿督斯里拉姆兰·哈伦表示，截至昨晚，马六甲州选举已售出189份提名表格，其中45名候选人已缴纳保证金。

选举委员会秘书拿督凯鲁·沙里尔·伊德鲁斯早前曾表示，提名文件必须由候选人、提名人和附议人，或其中两人或一人提交给选举官员。

他还建议有意参选的候选人填写必要的表格，并在提名日之前到选举主任办公室或马六甲州选举办公室进行审核，并提前缴纳所需的保证金。

凯鲁尔·沙赫里尔表示，候选人必须在提名日出示保证金支付收据作为付款证明，同时，代表政党的候选人在提交提名文件时还必须提交一封授权使用各自政党标志的信函。

与此同时，马来西亚气象局预测，明天马六甲全天天气状况良好。

经马六甲州元首敦莫哈末阿里鲁斯塔姆同意，马六甲州立法议会于9月23日正式解散。

在2021年马六甲州选举中，国阵赢得了28个州议席中的21个，组建了州政府；希望联盟获得5个议席；国盟获得2个议席。——马新社

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槟城将首先集中精力处理职业安全与健康局（DOSH）的调查，此前非政府组织要求对巴耶特鲁邦致命山体滑坡事件展开公开调查。

亚当·阿德利表示，信任与支持协议并不限制各政党的政治决策。