He took his oath of office before governor Ali Rustam at the Melaka governor’s office this afternoon.

He succeeds Sulaiman Ali, who resigned yesterday following his second stint as chief minister from November 2021.

Rauf is the current Melaka Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman and was recently re-elected to the Umno Supreme Council.

In 2020, Rauf was appointed Melaka state assembly speaker during Sulaiman’s first stint as chief minister. He later contested in a state seat for the first time in the 2021 state polls, winning the Tanjung Bidara seat.

Rauf had been repeatedly linked to the chief minister’s post since BN won the Melaka state election in November 2021.

Sulaiman was first sworn in as Melaka chief minister in March 2020 after the Sheraton Move led to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government and, consequently, the PH state government in Melaka as well.

He was reappointed to the post after BN stormed to a commanding victory in the Melaka state polls in November 2021.

Yesterday, BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed that Melaka Umno chief Ab Rauf Yusoh will be the coalition’s candidate for the post, following Sulaiman’s resignation.

Zahid also claimed that Sulaiman resigned due to health issues.

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