The Election Commission (EC) has fixed Nov 20 for the Malacca state elections.

Nomination day for the polls has been fixed for Nov 8 while early voting will be on Nov 16.

Speaking at a press conference after chairing a special meeting on the Melaka state election today, EC chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh said the EC expects the voter turnout to be about 70 per cent.

The 28-seat Melaka state legislative assembly was dissolved on Oct 4 after four assemblypersons, led by former chief minister Idris Haron, withdrew their support for the BN/Perikatan state administration.

Out of the 28 seats, 17 belonged to those aligned to either BN or Perikatan. These include 14 from Umno, two from Bersatu, and one BN-friendly independent. The remaining 11 seats belonged to seven DAP assemblypersons and two each from PKR, and Amanah.

The timing of the coup attempt has raised concerns from various quarters, since the number of COVID-19 cases in the country are still high.

They cited the massive resurgence in the number of COVID-19 cases after the Sabah state election in September last year to make their case against holding a poll in Melaka.

To date, Melaka has fully vaccinated 91.4 per cent of its adult population, and the Health Ministry has assured that it had prepared standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the Melaka polls.


Source: Malaysiakini, Bernama
Photo source: Bernama