MALACCA will go to the polls on November 20 with nomination set for November 8, said the Election Commission (EC) chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh.

He said early voting is on November 16.

“We expect an estimated 70% of voters in Malacca to come out to vote on that day,” said Ghani during a press conference today.

“We also urge the media as well as participating political parties to play their part in getting the people to come out to vote.”

Ghani said Covid-19 preventions guidelines for the state election will be based on the standard operating procedure (SOP) provided by by the national security council, Health Ministry, and the police.

The state assembly was dissolved on October 4 after four assemblymen withdrew support for Chief Minister Sulaiman Md Ali.

They were Sungai Udang assemblyman and former chief minister Idris Haron, Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Pengkalan Batu), Noor Effandi Ahmad (Telok Mas) and Nor Azman Hassan (Pantai Kundor).

This left Sulaiman with 13 votes – 12 from Umno and one from Bersatu – while the opposition had 15, including four from the defectors.

The Malacca legislative assembly has 28 seats.

In the 2018 general election, PH captured the state after it won 15 seats to Barisan Nasional’s 13.

Amanah’s Adly Zahari was appointed chief minister but was ousted after four PH assemblymen defected.

Two Bersatu and one PKR and DAP state representative had left the coalition to give Sulaiman the majority in the legislative assembly.

Norhizam was among the quartet and the sole assemblyman among them to become an independent. – October 18, 2021.