Politics of Malaysia takes place in the framework of a federal representative democratic constitutional monarchy, in which the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is head of state and the Prime Minister of Malaysia is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the federal government and the 13 state governments. Legislative power is vested in the federal parliament and the 13 state assemblies. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, though the executive maintains a certain level of influence in the appointment of judges to the courts.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, unofficially known as the king of Malaysia, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957, when the Federation of Malaya gained independence from the United Kingdom. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is elected by the Conference of Rulers, comprising the nine rulers of the Malay states, with the office de facto rotated between them, making Malaysia one of the world's few elective monarchies.
The prime ministerof Malaysia is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the federal government. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints the prime minister as a member of Parliament (MP) who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs. The prime minister is usually the leader of the party winning the most seats in a general election.
The Parliament of Malaysia is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King), as the head of state, is the third component of Parliament.
The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament, the federal legislature of Malaysia. The chamber and its powers are established by Article 44 of the Constitution of Malaysia. The Dewan Rakyat sits in the Houses of Parliament in Kuala Lumpur, along with the Dewan Negara, the upper house.
The Federal Constitution of Malaysia, which came into force in 1957 as the Constitution of the Federation of Malaya and was amended in 1963 to form the Constitution of Malaysia, is the supreme law of Malaysia and contains a total of 183 articles. It is a written legal document influenced by two previous documents, the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1948 and the Independence Constitution of 1957. The Federation was initially called the Federation of Malaya and it adopted its present name, Malaysia, when the states of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore became part of the Federation. The Constitution establishes the Federation as a constitutional monarchy, having the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as the Head of State with largely ceremonial roles. It provides for the establishment and organisation of three main branches of the government: the bicameral legislative branch called the Parliament, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate ; the executive branch led by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet Ministers and the judicial branch headed by the Federal Court.
The states and federal territories of Malaysia are the principal administrative divisions of Malaysia. Malaysia is a federation of 13 states (Negeri) and 3 federal territories.
The Dewan Negara is the upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia, consisting of 70 senators of whom 26 are elected by the state legislative assemblies, with two senators for each state, while the other 44 are appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, including four who are appointed to represent the federal territories.
The Conference of Rulers in Malaysia is a council comprising the nine rulers of the Malay states, and the governors of the other four states. It was officially established by Article 38 of the Constitution of Malaysia, and is the only such institution in the world, according to the Malaysian National Library.
The Government of Malaysia, officially the Federal Government of Malaysia, is based in the Federal Territory of Putrajaya, with the exception of the legislative branch, which is located in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is a federation composed of the 11 States of Malaya, the Borneo States of Sabah and Sarawak, and 3 Federal Territories operating within a constitutional monarchy under the Westminster system and is categorised as a representative democracy. The federal government of Malaysia adheres to and is created by the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, the supreme law of the land.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Malaysia:
Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku Jaafar is a Malaysian politician, lawyer and former senior police officer who is the eighth and current Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak. He previously served as the 19th President of the Dewan Negara and Senator from June 2023 to his resignation in January 2024.
Wan Saifulruddin bin Wan Jan, better known as Wan Saiful Wan Jan, is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tasek Gelugor since November 2022. He served as Chairman of the Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN) from June 2018 to June 2022 and Special Advisor to the Minister of Education Maszlee Malik from May to November 2018. He is a member of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU), a component party of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) and formerly Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalitions and was a member of the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom and the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), a component party of formerly the Gagasan Rakyat (GS) coalition. He joined BERSATU in February 2018. He also served as the Deputy Chairman of the Strategy and Policy Bureau of BERSATU from March 2018 to August 2020 and the 3rd Information Chief of BERSATU from August 2020 to his resignation in February 2023.
Najib Razak formed the second Najib cabinet after being invited by Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah to begin a new government following the 5 May 2013 general election in Malaysia. In order to be the Prime Minister, Najib sworn in before the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on 6 May 2013. Prior to the election, Najib led the first Najib cabinet, a coalition government that consisted of members of the component parties of Barisan Nasional.
Mahathir Mohamad formed the second Mahathir cabinet after being invited by Tuanku Ahmad Shah to begin a new government following the 22 April 1982 general election in Malaysia. Prior to the election, Mahathir led the first Mahathir cabinet, a coalition government that consisted of members of the component parties of Barisan Nasional. It was the 10th cabinet of Malaysia formed since independence.
Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, being the Prime Minister of Malaysia for the second time on 10 May 2018, formed the seventh Mahathir cabinet after being invited by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V to form a new government. It was the 20th cabinet of Malaysia formed since independence. Initially, he announced that the Cabinet will be composed of 10 key ministries only representing Pakatan Harapan parties, i.e. Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU), People's Justice Party (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DAP) and National Trust Party (AMANAH), as he suggested "to being a small Cabinet" rather than to have "a huge Cabinet". Then, on 21 May 2018, that list has expanded by 13 ministries. On 2 July 2018, 13 Ministers and 23 Deputy Ministers took office. It was a cabinet of 28 ministers until their fall on 24 February 2020 following Mahathir's resignation.
The 2020–2022 Malaysian political crisis was triggered after several Members of Parliament (MPs) of the 14th Malaysian Parliament changed party support, leading to the loss of a parliamentary majority, the collapse of two successive coalition governments, and the resignation of two Prime Ministers. The political crisis culminated in a 2022 snap general election and eventual formation of a coalition government.
The Muhyiddin cabinet was formed on 10 March 2020, nine days after Muhyiddin Yassin was appointed as the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia and dissolved 17 months and 6 days later on 16 August 2021, the day when Muhyiddin submitted his resignations as PM and of this cabinet. It was the 21st cabinet of Malaysia formed since independence. This cabinet was also known as the Perikatan Nasional Cabinet (PN-Cabinet) which combined 15 political parties from the Perikatan Nasional (PN) component parties, with Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) component parties and United Sabah Party (PBS) as allied partners providing confidence and supply.
The Anwar Ibrahim cabinet is the current federal cabinet of Malaysia, formed on 3 December 2022, nine days after Anwar Ibrahim took office as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia. The composition of the cabinet was announced by Anwar a day earlier on 2 December 2022, consisting of most of the political coalitions and parties represented in the 15th Parliament. It was the 23rd cabinet of Malaysia formed since independence. Although Perikatan Nasional (PN) was also invited to join the government, it decided to decline the invitation and instead formed the opposition. The government is often referred to as "unity government".
