SHAH ALAM – Barisan Nasional (BN) incumbent Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh is set to retain the Merlimau state seat with a commanding majority of 8,724 votes.
The unofficial tally shows Akmal securing 11,703 votes, ahead of Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Rahayu Hamzah from Amanah, who received 2,979 votes in a straight fight.
Following the strong lead, Dr Akmal took to Facebook to thank voters for their support, saying he would be at Politeknik Merlimau and the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC) tonight.
“Alhamdulillah. To those who are looking for me, I will be at Politeknik Merlimau and MITC tonight.
“Please tag those who are looking for me. Thank you to everyone who turned Melaka blue,” he said in a Facebook post today.
The victory would strengthen Dr Akmal's position in the state assembly, where he first won the Merlimau seat in the 2021 Melaka state election.
In the previous election, Akmal secured 5,633 votes with a majority of 3,248 votes in a three-cornered contest against candidates from PH and Perikatan Nasional (PN).
The latest contest, however, saw him face only one challenger, with Rahayu representing PH in the constituency.
Merlimau has 19,759 registered voters, comprising approximately 70 per cent Malays, 16 to 17 per cent Chinese and 11 per cent Indians.