Next Malaysian general election

General elections must be held in Malaysia by 17 February 2028. Redistribution and boundary changes for the constituencies are expected to take place by 2026, with the last taking place before the 2018 general election.

Next Malaysian general election

← 2022 By 17 February 2028 Next →
All 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat 112 seats needed for a majority
Leader Anwar Ibrahim Muhyiddin Yassin Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Party PKR BERSATU UMNO Alliance Pakatan Harapan Perikatan Nasional Barisan Nasional Last election 81 seats 74 seats 30 seats Current seats 81 68 30 Seats needed 31 44 82   Leader Abang Johari Hajiji Noor Shafie Apdal Party PBB GAGASAN WARISAN Alliance GPS GRS Last election 23 seats 6 seats 3 seats Current seats 23 6 3 Seats needed [nb 1] [nb 2] 109
Incumbent Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim PH

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, leader of Pakatan Harapan, currently leads a coalition government consisting of PH, BN, GPS, GRS, WARISAN and other minor parties.^[1] Perikatan Nasional (PN) and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) sit as the opposition.^[2][3]

The 2022 general election saw PN make gains primarily in the northern peninsular states of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu in what was dubbed as the Green Wave.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9]} It resulted in a hung parliament for the first time in Malaysian electoral history.

Elections in Malaysia are conducted at the federal and state levels. Federal elections elect members of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of Parliament, while state elections in each of the 13 states elect members of their respective state legislative assembly. As Malaysia follows the Westminster system of government, the head of government (Prime Minister at the federal level and the Chief Ministers, the so-called Menteri Besar, at the state level) is the person who commands the confidence of the majority of members in the respective legislature – this is normally the leader of the party or coalition with the majority of seats in the legislature.

The Dewan Rakyat consists of 222 members, known as Members of Parliament (MPs), that are elected for five-year terms. Each MP is elected from a single-member constituency using the first-past-the-post voting system. If one party obtains a majority of seats, then that party is entitled to form the government, with its leader becoming the Prime Minister. In the event of a hung parliament, where no single party obtains the majority of seats, the government may still form through a coalition or a confidence and supply agreement with other parties. In practice, coalitions and alliances in Malaysia generally persist between elections, and member parties do not normally contest for the same seats.

Dissolution of parliament

The 14th Parliament of Malaysia was dissolved on 10 October 2022, during a special televised address by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, following an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Abdullah, a day prior, whereby he provided consent for the dissolution. The election had to be held within 60 days or by 9 December.^[10]

The Constitution of Malaysia requires that a general election be held in the fifth calendar year after the first sitting unless it is dissolved earlier by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong following a motion of no confidence, loss of supply or a request by the prime minister.

Dissolution of state legislatures

While any state may dissolve its legislature independently of Parliament, most of them had historically dissolve at around the same time as Parliament such that federal and state elections are held simultaneously. In accordance with Malaysian law, Parliament as well as the legislative assemblies of each state would automatically expire on the fifth anniversary of the first sitting of a term, unless dissolved prior to that date by the relevant heads of state on the advice of their respective heads of government. Elections must be held within sixty days of expiry or dissolution.