SHAH ALAM – Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Dr Akmal Saleh has retained the Merlimau state seat with an increased majority of 8,724 votes in the 16th Melaka state election.
The Umno Youth chief secured 11,703 votes in N.27 Merlimau, defeating Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Ayu Hamzah, who received 2,979 votes.
The victory marked a stronger performance for Dr Akmal compared with the 2021 state election, when he won the same constituency with a majority of 3,248 votes.
Merlimau was among the 28 state constituencies contested in the election, which saw 79 candidates from various political parties and independent backgrounds vying for seats in the State Legislative Assembly.
BN fielded 23 candidates, while PH contested 24 seats. Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) fielded 16 candidates, followed by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) with seven and Perikatan Nasional (PN) with five.
The election followed the dissolution of the 28-seat State Legislative Assembly on Sept 23, with nomination day held on Oct 31 and early voting conducted on Nov 10.
In the previous state election in 2021, BN won 21 seats, while PH secured five and PN obtained two.