Low retains Kota Laksamana for PH with 9,424 majority

Low has held the seat since 2018.

By YASMIN ROSLI

14 Nov 2026 10:13pm

DAP’s Low Chee Leong retained the Kota Laksamana state seat (N20) for Pakatan Harapan (PH) with a majority of 9,424 votes in the 16th Melaka state election on Nov 14, according to official results from the Election Commission.

MELAKA – DAP’s Low Chee Leong retained the Kota Laksamana state seat (N20) for Pakatan Harapan (PH) with a majority of 9,424 votes in the 16th Melaka state election on Nov 14, according to official results from the Election Commission.

Low polled 14,599 votes, or 68.4 per cent of the 21,356 cast. MCA’s Melvin Chua of Barisan Nasional (BN) received 5,175 votes (24.2 per cent). Ethan Lim Zhi Hao of Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) took 1,582 votes (7.4 per cent).

Low has held the seat since 2018, succeeding DAP’s Lai Keun Ban, who represented it from 2013. His majority that year was 16,173. Before the polls he was deputy state executive councillor and he stepped down from that post when DAP’s Melaka representatives withdrew from the state government.

The challenge from BN was bigger than in 2021, when the BN and PN candidates won 3,204 votes between them in a three-cornered contest.

This time Chua took 5,175. Perikatan Nasional (PN) had been expected to contest the seat, but MCA announced on Oct 30 that PN had returned it to BN.

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said Chua’s name had been agreed with BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. It was MCA’s fourth seat in the polls.

Chua is a Melaka Historic City Council councillor, a post he has held since 2016. He also contested the seat in 2018, when he polled 4,008 votes, or 16.2 per cent and lost to Low by 16,173.

This time he accepted DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke’s call for candidates from both sides to debate in public. He urged Low to account for promises in PH’s 2021 manifesto.

Low said during the campaign that he was not taking voters’ support for granted.

Lim was a first-time candidate and a STEM activist. He proposed a technology-driven approach to public services and a more diversified local economy. Bersama, co-led by former PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli, fielded 15 candidates in the state polls.

Kota Laksamana is one of four DAP-held seats that BN and PN-aligned candidates set out to take. The others were Ayer Keroh, Kesidang and Bandar Hilir.