November 1: Malaysia’s Election Commission has confirmed 79 candidates for all 28 seats in Melaka’s state election after nominations closed on October 31. Polling is scheduled for November 14, with early voting on November 10 and campaigning ending at 11:59pm on November 13.
Key highlights
- All 79 nomination papers were accepted, according to the commission.
- Eleven seats have two-way contests, eleven have three-way contests and six have four-way contests.
- The official electoral roll contains 687,697 voters.
- These are nomination figures, not election results or a forecast of the winning coalition.
File photo: the main building of the Seri Negeri state-government complex in Melaka (June 15, 2013). Photo: Cerevisae / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and resized by The Press of Asia. Archival building photograph, not a nomination-day event. The adaptation is shared under the same licence.
What nomination day established
The Election Commission’s statement No.55/2026, signed by chairman Ramlan Harun, records the accepted candidates and the shape of the contests. Its earlier timetable, statement No.49/2026, sets the voting dates following the dissolution of the previous state assembly on September 23.
A state-assembly election determines representation in Melaka’s legislature. Readers should distinguish it from a nationwide parliamentary election: the 28 seats described in these notices are state seats, and the party totals below are candidates standing, not seats already won.
Candidate numbers by party
| Party or designation | Candidates |
|---|---|
| Pakatan Harapan (PH) | 24 |
| Barisan Nasional (BN) | 23 |
| Parti Bersama Malaysia (BERSAMA) | 16 |
| Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU) | 7 |
| Perikatan Nasional (PN) | 5 |
| Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (PUTRA) | 1 |
| Independents | 3 |
| Total | 79 |
The table follows the commission’s categories. In particular, it lists BERSATU and PN separately because that is how the official nomination release records them. Combining labels without checking individual nominations could obscure how names and symbols appear in a particular constituency.
Our calculation: the 11 two-candidate seats, 11 three-candidate seats and six four-candidate seats account for 22 + 33 + 24 = 79 candidates across 28 constituencies. This checks the published aggregate; it does not indicate how votes will be distributed.
The timetable and voter information
| Step | Official date |
|---|---|
| Nominations | October 31, 2026 |
| Early voting | November 10, 2026 |
| Campaigning ends | 11:59pm, November 13, 2026 |
| Polling day | November 14, 2026 |
The commission’s election-planning statement gives an electoral roll of 687,697 people and directs voters to MySPR Semak for their polling centre, voting stream and sequence number. It lists the official hotline as 03-8892 7218, with operating hours of 9am to 8pm daily.
Voters should check their own record through the commission’s service rather than assume that a previous polling location remains unchanged. The candidate count is statewide; the ballot a voter receives will concern the candidates in the voter’s particular seat.
What the figures show — and what they cannot show
The nomination release records 65 male and 14 female candidates. Our calculation: women make up about 17.7% of the candidate field, calculated as 14 divided by 79. That describes nominations, not the composition of the assembly after voting.
Multi-candidate contests create different choices from a straight two-way race, but the nomination data alone cannot establish who benefits. Turnout, local issues, candidate support and the eventual vote count will determine outcomes. No result has been declared in the documents reviewed for this report.
For the campaign period, the commission says 28 enforcement teams will monitor activities and reminds candidates to comply with applicable campaign rules. The next material developments to follow are verified campaign announcements, official polling instructions and, after voting, constituency results published by the commission.
Sources
- Election Commission of Malaysia: Nomination statement No.55/2026
- Election Commission of Malaysia: Election arrangements and timetable, No.49/2026
- Election Commission of Malaysia: Melaka election information portal
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