EC expects first Melaka polls result by 9.30pm, full tally before midnight

MELAKA, Nov 14 — The Election Commission (EC) expects the first result of the 16th Melaka State Election to be known by 9.30pm tonight, said EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun.

He said the official results for all 28 State Legislative Assembly seats are expected to be known before midnight.

“We should be able to report the first result to the public by 9.30pm, and we anticipate that all results will be available before midnight,” he told reporters after visiting a polling station at SJK© Malim here today.

Commenting on the voter turnout, Ramlan noted that as of 11.25am, the turnout was quite encouraging at 31.07 per cent.

He expressed confidence that the minimum target of a 70 per cent voter turnout for this election could be achieved.

“I remain confident in the 70 to 75 per cent figure. A minimum of 70 per cent is achievable this time,” he said, while urging the public to come out and vote early, given the forecast of rain in the afternoon.

In a related development, Ramlan mentioned that over 7,000 registered voters with disabilities (OKU) have already cast their ballots.

Regarding voter turnout by gender, Ramlan said the turnout among female voters is currently higher than that of male voters, based on real-time data obtained through the EC’s OCR-VA system.

Commenting on election-related offences, Ramlan said 301 minor election offences had been reported as of last night, most of which involved the installation of campaign materials.

“I cannot say that 301 is a low figure. We hope that such incidents can be further reduced in the future,” he said.

He also expressed his appreciation to members of the public who came forward to report election offences, adding that the Election Commission (EC) has taken action regarding the complaints received.

According to data from the Election Commission (EC), 675,166 voters are eligible to cast their ballots today to elect representatives for 28 State Legislative Assembly seats. — Bernama