MELAKA, Nov 10 — The Election Commission (EC) is targeting a voter turnout of up to 95 per cent for the early voting phase of the 16th Melaka state election today.

EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said as of 10.35 am, 53.25 per cent or 5,286 early voters had cast their ballots across 31 polling centres, which comprise 50 polling streams.

He noted that 19 early voting streams with a lower number of voters will close at noon today, while the remaining streams will close in stages at 2 pm and 5 pm.

“Today, 9,769 military personnel and 2,762 police personnel are participating in the early voting process, bringing the total number of early voters to 12,531,” he said.

Ramlan made these remarks while speaking to reporters after observing the early voting process for the 16th Melaka state election at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Kem Terendak in Sungai Udang, here, today.

In a related development, Ramlan mentioned that the EC has received 237 reports concerning election offences throughout the campaign period, which began following the nomination of candidates on October 31.       

“The violations, among other things, relate to minor infractions under election regulations that occurred during campaigning involving issues such as the display of contesting parties’ flags and campaign materials.

“Otherwise, everything has proceeded well and smoothly, with no major incidents reported. I hope this trend continues throughout the remainder of the campaign period, and I urge everyone to remain prudent and orderly, and to avoid causing any disruptions,” he said.

A total of 79 candidates representing various political parties and coalitions, as well as independent candidates are eligible to contest in this Melaka state election.

The Election Commission (EC) has set November 14 as the polling day for the Melaka state election, while early voting is taking place today.

For the latest updates on the 16th Melaka state election, please visit https://election.bernama.com/prn/melaka/2026. — Bernama