Melaka Barisan Nasional chairman Ab Rauf Yusoh has been sworn in as chief minister for a second term following the coalition’s victory in the state election.
Rauf, who retained the Tanjung Bidara seat, took his oath of office before Melaka governor Ali Rustam at Kompleks Seri Negeri in Ayer Keroh.
BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN) had nominated Rauf for the post after their alliance won 24 of the 28 state assembly seats in yesterday’s election.
BN secured 21 seats, surpassing the two-thirds majority threshold, while PN won three. Pakatan Harapan’s DAP captured the remaining four seats.
In a Facebook post today, Rauf, 65, thanked Melaka voters for giving BN and PN the mandate to administer the state.
He said the result reflected public acceptance of the proposals outlined in the two coalitions’ joint manifesto, which contains six key pillars and 113 initiatives.
Rauf said his priority would now be to implement the manifesto’s promises.
He also called on the people of Melaka to put aside their political differences and unite following the election.
‘Regardless of whom we supported yesterday, today we are one big family called Melaka,’ he said.
Rauf secures bigger majority
Rauf was re-elected as Tanjung Bidara assemblyman with an 8,615-vote majority, a significant increase from the 364-vote majority he secured in the 2021 state election.
He previously served as Melaka assembly speaker from 2020 to 2021.
The Melaka Umno chairman became chief minister in 2023 after his predecessor, Sulaiman Ali, resigned.
Rauf had been appointed a senior executive council member in Sulaiman’s administration following the 2021 state election, amid speculation that he was seeking the chief minister’s post.
