MELAKA - Polling ended across Melaka at 6pm on Nov 14 in Malaysia’s third state election of 2026, with analysts projecting that Barisan Nasional (BN) could deliver another electoral setback to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.
By 5pm, 70.1% of the state’s 687,697 registered voters had cast their ballots, according to figures released by the Election Commission (EC). The turnout has eclipsed the 65.9% recorded in the 2021 Melaka state polls.
The EC chairman, Ramlan Harun, said the first result update is expected by 9.30pm, with full results in by midnight.
Ilham Centre has projected that BN and its allies in Perikatan Nasional (PN) could sweep 24 of the 28 seats contested, securing a two-thirds majority.
“The BN-PN blue wave was dominating the contest in the Melaka election, with a significant advantage over PH,” the independent research firm and polling think-tank organisation said in a report published on Nov 13.
The 28-seat Melaka state assembly, which BN has controlled since 2021, was dissolved on Sept 23, paving the way for the state’s 16th election.
Fresh from dominating the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections in July and August respectively, BN is heavily favoured to retain control of Melaka, where it won 21 seats in 2021.
