BN captures Melaka with two-thirds majority

The coalition of UMNO, MCA and MIC captured 21 of the 28 seats contested while Pakatan Harapan (PH) won five seats and Perikatan Nasional (PN) took two seats.

Parti Bumiputra Perkasa Malaysia (Putra), which contested in five seats, and Parti Perikatan India Muslim Nasional (IMAN), which contested in one seat, as well as all the 22 independent candidates did not win any seat.

The last time BN won Melaka with a two-thirds majority was in the 12th General Election (GE12) in 2008, when it won 23 seats.

All the four assemblymen who withdrew their support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Mohd Ali and triggered the election -- Datuk Seri Idris Haron (BN-Sungai Udang), Datuk Nor Azman Hassan (BN-Pantai Kundor), Datuk Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Independent-Pengkalan Batu) and Datuk Noor Effandi Ahmad (Bersatu-Telok Mas) -- also lost.

Apart from retaining 12 of the 13 seats it won in the 14th General Election (GE14), BN also added nine more seats - Rembia, Kelebang, Machap Jaya, Telok Mas, Pengkalan Batu, Gadek, Durian Tunggal, Paya Rumput and Duyong.

The 13 seats won by BN in GE14 were Kuala Linggi, Tanjung Bidara, Ayer Limau, Lendu, Taboh Naning, Asahan, Sungai Udang, Pantai Kundor, Ayer Molek, Rim, Serkam, Merlimau and Sungai Rambai.

This time around, BN lost Sungai Udang, which used to be its "fixed deposit".

In GE14, Rembia was won by Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis on a PH ticket but he later left PKR to become an independent assemblyman before joining UMNO in January this year.

In this election, UMNO contested in 20 seats - Kuala Linggi, Tanjung Bidara, Ayer Limau, Lendu, Taboh Naning, Rembia, Durian Tunggal, Asahan, Sungai Udang, Pantai Kundor, Paya Rumput, Pengkalan Batu, Bukit Katil, Ayer Molek, Duyong, Telok Mas, Rim, Serkam, Merlimau and Sungai Rambai.

This election also saw the revival of BN components MCA and MIC, which contributed to the coalition's impressive victory.

MCA won two of the seven seats it contested, winning in Machap Jaya and Kelebang but losing in Ayer Keroh, Kesidang, Kota Laksamana, Bandar Hilir and Bemban.

MIC was given just one seat, in Gadek, and its representative V.P.P Shanmugam triumphed in a six-cornered fight with Azafen Amin (Independent), Laila Norinda Maon (Putra), B.S. Mohan Singh (Independent), Mohd Amir Fitri Muharam (PN) and G. Saminathan (PH).

PH, which comprises PKR, DAP and Amanah, also contested in 28 seats but won only five - Ayer Keroh, Kota Laksamana, Bukit Katil, Kesidang and Bandar Hilir - far off the earlier prediction of winning at least 15 seats.

PH won 15 seats in GE14 but two assemblymen from Bersatu and one from DAP quit the coalition to support the new BN-PN government led by Chief Minister Sulaiman.

PN, represented by Bersatu, PAS and Gerakan, contested in all 28 seats but won only two - in Sungai Udang and Bemban.

PN's Chief Minister candidate in this election, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, was defeated in Tanjung Bidara by Melaka UMNO chairman Datuk Abdul Rauf Yusoh in a three-cornered contest.

Melaka PN chairman Datuk Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen also failed in Telok Mas, after moving from the Paya Rumput seat.

The polls were called following the dissolution of the Melaka State Legislative Assembly on Oct 4 after four assemblymen withdrew their support for Sulaiman as the Chief Minister.