MELAKA: A total of 12,531 military and police personnel, together with their spouses, will cast their ballots in early voting for the Melaka election today.
Of these, 9,769 are from the armed forces and 2,762 from the police.
The Election Commission (EC) will open 31 polling centres, with 50 voting streams operating from 8am to 5.30pm.
Early voters may face wet weather, with the Meteorological Department forecasting scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon and scattered rain at night in Melaka Tengah. Temperatures are to range from 23°C to 32°C.
Early voting is open only to eligible security personnel and their spouses, while other voters will cast their ballots on polling day this Saturday. There are a total of 79 candidates vying for the 28 state seats, with 11 straight fights, 11 three-cornered contests and six four-cornered battles.
Pakatan Harapan is contesting 24 seats, followed by Barisan Nasional with 23, Parti Bersama Malaysia (16), Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (seven), Perikatan Nasional (five) and Parti Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (one).
Three independent candidates are also in the race. A total of 687,697 voters are eligible to cast their ballots at 271 polling centres statewide.
