Official: Barisan Nasional to form Melaka government

Melaka, Nov 21 — The Election Commission (EC) has declared Barisan Nasional (BN) the victor in the Melaka state election with 21 out of 28 seats won.

EC chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh said in a statement that the coalition had succeeded in obtaining a majority of over 50%.

When polling centers closed, the Barisan Nasional coalition was already expected to win a two-thirds majority in the state legislative assembly, three years after losing Melaka to Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the last general election.

The Melaka state election was triggered by the decision of four assemblymen to withdraw their support for Chief Minister Sulaiman Md Ali.

Sulaiman, the Lendu state assemblyman, who was BN’s candidate for chief minister this time around, has been sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Melaka.

He received his letter of appointment and took the oaths of office, loyalty, and secrecy before Melaka Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Mohd Ali Rustam at Dewan Seri Utama of the Governor’s Office early this morning, just hours after Barisan Nasional (BN) swept to victory in the Melaka state election.

PH nominated Amanah’s Adly Zahari while Perikatan Nasional chose Bersatu’s Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, who would have been the country’s first woman head of state if the coalition had succeeded in winning the election.

The results are in line with predictions by political analysts following the low voter turnout, due in large part to concerns over Covid-19, as well as political lethargy among the people.

NMT