Melaka state assembly to be dissolved on Sept 23: Malaysian media
Sign up now: Get insights on the biggest stories in Malaysia
Melaka’s current 28-seat state assembly’s term was due to expire on Dec 27.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Melaka’s state legislative assembly is set to be dissolved on Sept 23, Malaysian news outlets New Straits Times (NST) and Bernama reported, paving the way for polls to be held in the state within 60 days.
Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh made the announcement at a 2pm press conference on Sept 22 at the Kompleks Seri Negeri – the Melaka state administrative centre.
State governor Mohd Ali Mohd Rustam had consented to the dissolution following an audience earlier the same day, NST reported Ab Rauf as saying.
The current 28-seat state assembly’s term was due to expire on Dec 27, which would have required an election to be held on or before Feb 25, 2027.
Speculation over the dissolution grew after the state executive council meeting, which is usually held on Wednesdays, was brought forward by a day to Sept 22 and chaired by Ab Rauf, Bernama reported. NST said that all Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen received invitation letters on Sept 21 for the meeting.
Ab Rauf gave his assurance that Melaka’s state government would continue operating as usual in the lead-up to the election, Bernama reported.
“Following this dissolution, the state government will carry out its responsibilities in the capacity of a caretaker government until a new state government is formed after the election process,” he was reported to have said at the press conference.
“Throughout this period, our priority is to ensure that the state administration remains orderly, services to the people are uninterrupted, and the people’s interests continue to be safeguarded.”
When asked if BN and its coalition partners would retain their existing candidates for the upcoming election, Ab Rauf said any decision on candidate selection would take multiple factors into account and be announced later, Bernama reported.
Melaka last went to the polls in November 2021 for its 15th state election, which saw a total of 495,195 registered voters.
The incumbent BN secured 21 of the 28 contested seats, while Pakatan Harapan (PH) secured five, and Perikatan Nasional (PN) took the remaining two.
BN reclaimed Negeri Sembilan from PH after the state’s polls in August, securing 25 of 36 seats there with its ally PN.
Earlier, in July, the UMNO-led BN scored a landslide win in Johor, winning 48 out of the 56 contested seats.