Ab Rauf sworn in for second term as Melaka Chief Minister in Malaysia

MELAKA – Ab Rauf Yusoh was sworn in as Melaka Chief Minister for a second term, a day after the Barisan Nasional-Perikatan Nasional pact secured a two-thirds majority in the state election in Malaysia.The 65-year-old Tanjung Bidara assemblyman took his oath of office before state governor Mohd Ali Rustam at Seri Negeri in Ayer Keroh on Nov 15.According to official Election Commission results, Barisan won 21 of the 28 state seats in the Nov 14 polls, while Pakatan Harapan took four and Perikatan three. Together, Barisan and Perikatan hold 24 seats, comfortably clearing the 19-seat threshold needed for a two-thirds majority.At night on Nov 14, Barisan chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that both coalitions had agreed to nominate Ab Rauf for the post and submitted the formal nomination letter to the Yang Di-Pertua Negeri.In the Nov 14 polls, Ab Rauf comfortably retained his Tanjung Bidara seat with an 8,615-vote majority, a sharp surge from his razor-thin 364-vote margin in 2021.A Masjid Tanah native and former businessman, Ab Rauf has helmed Melaka Umno and the state Barisan chapter since 2018. He also serves as the Masjid Tanah Umno division chief and was re-elected to the Umno supreme council in 2023.His rise in state politics began in March 2020, when he was appointed Melaka State Assembly Speaker despite not being an elected assemblyman.After making his electoral debut in Tanjung Bidara in November 2021, he served as the senior state executive councillor for investment, industry, entrepreneur development and cooperatives, before being appointed Melaka’s 13th chief minister on March 31, 2023, following the resignation of Sulaiman Md Ali. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK