MELAKA (Oct 31): Caretaker Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh faces a straight fight as he seeks to defend the Tanjung Bidara (N.02) seat in the 16th Melaka state election on Nov 14.

The Melaka Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman is challenged by Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Mohd Yunazri Mustamiri, the pro-tem secretary of the Masjid Tanah PKR division.

Returning officer Datuk Saifuddin Abdul Karim announced the official candidates at 10am on Saturday, following the conclusion of the nomination process at the Datuk Kapt (B) Haji Ab Karim Hall in the Tanjung Bidara Development and Coordination Committee complex in Alor Gajah.

With the nomination process concluded, the 14-day campaigning period for the state election has officially begun and will end at 11.59pm on Nov 13, according to the Election Commission (EC).

In the 15th Melaka state election in 2021, Ab Rauf won the Tanjung Bidara seat in a three-cornered contest, defeating PH candidate Zainal Hassan and Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin with a majority of 364 votes.

The 28-seat Melaka State Legislative Assembly was dissolved on Sept 23, with the consent of Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Melaka Tun Mohd Ali Rustam.

The EC has set Nov 10 for early voting and Nov 14 as the polling day.

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.

In the 15th Melaka state election on Nov 20, 2021, BN won 21 seats, comprising 18 seats by Umno, two by MCA and one by MIC, securing a more than two-thirds majority to form the state government.

PH won five seats, with DAP securing four and Amanah one, while PN won two seats.

Click here for all you need to know about the 2026 Melaka state election.

Uploaded by Tham Yek Lee