Melaka polls: 240 polling centres across state open simultaneously at 8am

Melaka state held its 16th state elections on October 31, 2023, with 240 polling centres opening simultaneously at 8am. These centres offered 1,213 polling streams to allow voters to cast their ballots and elect a state government for the next term. The Election Commission reported that 675,166 ordinary voters were eligible to participate, aiming for a turnout of 70 percent.

The voting process continued until 6pm. This election builds upon the 14-day campaigning period that ended at 11.59pm the previous night. In total, 687,697 registered voters were eligible to vote, which included 12,531 military personnel, their spouses, and police personnel who had already cast their ballots during early voting on Tuesday.

Early voting saw a high turnout of 9,417 voters, representing 94.96 percent of the 9,917 eligible voters. Post voting contributed an additional 2,614 votes. The election features 79 candidates from various political parties and independents, with Pakatan Harapan leading with 24 candidates, followed by Barisan Nasional with 23, Parti Bersama Malaysia with 16, Bersatu with seven, Perikatan Nasional with five, Parti Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia with one, and three independent candidates.

The election was called after the dissolution of the 15th Melaka State Legislative Assembly on September 23, with the approval of Melaka's Yang Dipertua Negeri, Tun Mohd Ali Rustam. In the previous state election on November 20, 2021, BN won 21 of the 28 seats, while PH secured five and PN two.