Melaka turnout closes in on 70pc target with over an hour of voting left

As the Melaka state election approached its conclusion, voter turnout had reached a significant 67.74 percent, according to the Election Commission's real-time monitoring system. This figure marked the nation approaching the EC's 70 percent target with a mere 90 minutes remaining before polling stations closed. The dashboard revealed that 453,351 voters had cast their ballots, participating in a contest featuring 79 candidates vying for 28 state seats.

Serkam led the pack with a turnout of 77.21 percent, closely followed by Ayer Molek at 76.14 percent, Tanjung Bidara at 73.99 percent, and Sungai Rambai at 73.79 percent. Eight constituencies had already surpassed the 70 percent mark, with Ayer Limau, Duyong, Merlimau, and Durian Tunggal also achieving this milestone. Bandar Hilir, however, recorded the lowest turnout at 55.58 percent, followed by Kota Laksamana at 60.20 percent and Sungai Udang at 61.08 percent.

The election, which took place over the course of a 16-hour voting period, saw the participation of 240 polling centers housing a total of 1,213 polling streams. The contest saw a diverse array of parties and independents vying for the seats, with Pakatan Harapan leading with 24 contested seats, Barisan Nasional following with 23, and Parti Bersama Malaysia with 16.

Bersatu contested seven seats, while Putra was contesting one, and three independent candidates were also in the running.