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The Opposition in Malaysia fulfils the same function as the official opposition in other Commonwealth of Nations monarchies. It is seen as the alternative government and the existing administration's main opponent at a general election.
This is the list of current Leaders of the Opposition in the Parliament of Malaysia:
| House | Opposition Leader | Political party [lower-alpha 1] | Term | Government Leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dewan Negara | Vacant | N/A | 18 July 2018 5 years, 258 days | Vacant | |
| Dewan Rakyat | Hamzah Zainuddin (b. 1957) MP for Larut | PN (BERSATU) | 10 December 2022 1 year, 113 days | Anwar Ibrahim (b. 1947) MP for Tambun | |
The Leader of the Opposition in Malaysian state politics is a Member of the Legislative Assembly in the Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Legislative Assembly).
In each state, the Leader of the Opposition is the leader of the largest political party in the State Assembly that is not in government except in the Johor State Legislative Assembly.
When in state legislative assembly, the Leader of the Opposition sits on the left-hand side of the centre table, in front of the Opposition and opposite the Menteri Besar/Chief Minister/Premier. The State Opposition Leader is elected by the minority party of the Assembly according to its rules. A new Opposition Leader may be elected when the incumbent dies, resigns, or is challenged for the leadership.
Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system and is based on the Westminster model. The Opposition is an important component of the Westminster system, with the Opposition directing criticism at the Government's policies and programs, give close attention to all proposed legislation and attempts to defeat and replace the Government. The Opposition is therefore known as the 'government in waiting' and it is a formal part of the parliamentary system.
This is the list of current Leaders of Opposition in the Legislative Assemblies of the Malaysian states:
| State (and Assembly) | Opposition Leader | Political party [lower-alpha 1] | Term | Government Leader | Refs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kedah (15th) | Bau Wong Bau Ek (b. 1967) MLA for Sidam | PH–PKR | 26 November 2023 127 days | Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor (b. 1974) MLA for Jeneri | |||
 Kelantan (15th) | Mohd Syahbuddin Hashim (b. unknown) MLA for Galas | BN–UMNO | 5 September 2023 209 days | Mohd Nassuruddin Daud (b. 1965) MLA for Meranti | |||
 Melaka (15th) | Mohd Yadzil Yaakub (b. 1978) MLA for Bemban | PN–BERSATU | 13 December 2022 1 year, 110 days | Ab Rauf Yusoh (b. 1961) MLA for Tanjung Bidara | [1] [2] | ||
 Negeri Sembilan (15th) | Mohamad Hanifah Abu Baker (b. 1980) MLA for Labu | PN–BERSATU | 21 March 2024 11 days | Aminuddin Harun (b. 1967) MLA for Sikamat | |||
 Pahang (15th) | Tuan Ibrahim (b.1960) MLA for Cheka | PN–PAS | 6 December 2022 1 year, 117 days | Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail (b. 1958) MLA for Jelai | [3] | ||
 Penang (15th) | Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff (b. unknown) MLA for Sungai Dua | PN–PAS | 17 November 2023 136 days | Chow Kon Yeow (b. 1957) MLA for Padang Kota | |||
 Perak (15th) | Razman Zakaria (b. 1960) MLA for Gunong Semanggol | PN–PAS | 9 December 2022 1 year, 114 days | Saarani Mohamad (b.1962) MLA for Kota Tampan | |||
 Perlis (15th) | Gan Ay Ling (b. unknown) MLA for Indera Kayangan | PH–PKR | 19 November 2022 1 year, 134 days | Mohd Shukri Ramli (b. 1961) MLA for Sanglang | |||
 Sabah (15th) | Shafie Apdal (b. 1956) MLA for Senallang | WARISAN | 29 September 2020 3 years, 185 days | Hajiji Noor (b. 1956) MLA for Sulaman | |||
 Sarawak (19th) | Wong Soon Koh (b. 1942) MLA for Bawang Assan | PSB | 9 November 2020 3 years, 144 days | Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg (b. 1949) MLA for Gedong | [4] | ||
 Selangor (15th) | Azmin Ali (b. 1964) MLA for Hulu Kelang | PN–BERSATU | 19 September 2023 195 days | Amirudin Shari (b. 1980) MLA for Sungai Tua | |||
 Terengganu (15th) | None | None | 12 August 2023 233 days | Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar (b. 1970) MLA for Ru Rendang | |||
This is the list of current Leader of Balancing Force in the Legislative Assembly of the Malaysian state:
| State (and Assembly) | Balancing Force Leader | Political party [lower-alpha 1] | Term | Government Leader | Refs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Johor (15th) | Andrew Chen Kah Eng (b. 1975) MLA for Stulang | PH–DAP | 20 March 2023 1 year, 12 days | Onn Hafiz Ghazi (b. 1979) MLA for Machap | |||
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 National Front is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties to succeed the Alliance Party. It is the third largest political coalition with 30 seats in the Dewan Rakyat after Pakatan Harapan (PH) with 82 seats and Perikatan Nasional (PN) with 74 seats.
The Democratic Action Party is a centre-left social democratic political party in Malaysia. As one of four component parties of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, it formed the federal government after defeating Barisan Nasional (BN) in the 2018 Malaysian general election, ending the party's 53 year-long stay in the opposition. However, before the coalition finished its first term, defections from partnering parties caused it to lose power after 22 months, culminating in the 2020 Malaysian political crisis. At the 2022 Malaysian general election, the PH coalition which the DAP was part of was returned to power again, albeit without a majority, leading it to form a unity government with political rivals.
In Malaysia, the Menteri Besar, colloquially referred to as MB, is the head of government of each of nine states in Malaysia with monarchs. For four states without a monarch, the title Chief Minister, is used except for Sarawak where it uses Premier (Premier). The title "Menteri Besar" is usually untranslated in the English media in Malaysia, but is typically translated as 'Chief Minister' by foreign media. According to protocol, all Menteris Besar, Chief Ministers and Premier are styled Yang Amat Berhormat, which means "The Most Honourable".
A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures primarily under the Westminster system to describe a situation in which no single political party or pre-existing coalition has an absolute majority of legislators in a parliament or other legislature. This situation is also known as a balanced parliament, or as a legislature under no overall control (NOC), and can result in a minority government. This term is occasionally used as wordplay for sex scandals.
Elections in Malaysia include elections to public office of the political entities that since 1963 have composed the federation of Malaysia. At present, elections in Malaysia exist at two levels: federal level and state level. Federal level elections are those for membership in the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of Parliament, while state level elections are for membership in the various State Legislative Assemblies. The heads of executive branch at both the federal and state levels, the Prime Minister and Menteri Besar/Chief Ministers respectively, are usually indirectly elected, filled by a member of the majority party/coalition in the respective legislatures.
The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly is the legislative chamber of the unicameral legislature of the Malaysian state of Sarawak; the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak forms the other part of the legislature. The Assembly is modelled after the traditions of the Westminster parliamentary system, which originates from the practices of the British Parliament. The executive branch of government is drawn from the elected members of the Assembly. The State Legislative Assembly sits at the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building located in Petra Jaya in Kuching, the state capital.
The Chief Minister of Malacca is the head of government in the Malaysian state of Malacca. According to convention, the Chief Minister is the leader of the majority party or largest coalition party of the Malacca State Legislative Assembly. The position has been held by Ab Rauf Yusoh since 31 March 2023.
The premierof Sarawak is the head of government of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The premier is appointed by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sarawak. The premier is also the leader of the political party or coalition that secures a majority in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly.
The Alliance of Hope is a Malaysian political coalition consisting of centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has been part of a "Unity Government" since November 2022 together with other political coalitions and parties as a result of the 2022 Malaysian general election, and previously for 22 months after it had won the 2018 Malaysian general election until February 2020 when it lost power as a result of the 2020 Malaysian political crisis at the federal level. The coalition deposed the Barisan Nasional coalition government during the 2018 election, ending its 60-year-long reign since independence.
The United Sarawak Party is a multi-racial political party based in the state of Sarawak.
The 18th Sarawak State Legislative Assembly was a term of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, the legislative branch of the Government of Sarawak in Sarawak, Malaysia. The 18th Assembly consisted of 82 members that were elected in the 2016 state election and served from 7 June 2016 until 3 November 2021.
Adly bin Zahari is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Deputy Minister of Defence in the Unity Government administration under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Minister Mohamad Hasan since December 2022, Member of Parliament (MP) for Alor Gajah since November 2022 and Member of the Melaka State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Bukit Katil since May 2018. He served as the 11th Chief Minister of Melaka from May 2018 to March 2020 and State Leader of the Opposition of Melaka from April 2020 to December 2022. He is a member of the National Trust Party (AMANAH), a component party of the PH coalition and was a member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), a component party of formerly the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition. In AMANAH, he has served as its Vice-President since September 2021 and State Chairman of Melaka since August 2017. He was also the Treasurer-General of AMANAH prior to his promotion to the party vice presidency. He is also the sole Melaka AMANAH MLA.
The 14th Malacca election was held on 9 May 2018 to elect the State Assemblymen of the 14th Malacca State Legislative Assembly, the legislature of the Malaysian state of Malacca. The Malacca State Legislative Assembly dissolved on 7 April 2018 by the Head of State on the advice of the Head of Government.
The Sarawak Parties Alliance is a Sarawak-based national political alliance in Malaysia. It was established in 2018 by four former Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties operating solely in Sarawak following the federal coalition's defeat in the 2018 Malaysian general election. It is currently the fourth largest political coalition with 23 seats in the Dewan Rakyat, and forms the government in the state of Sarawak.
The 2021 Sarawak state election, formally the 12th Sarawak general election, took place on 18 December 2021. This election was to elect 82 members of the 19th Sarawak State Legislative Assembly. The previous assembly was dissolved on 3 November 2021.
General elections were held in Malaysia on Saturday, 19 November 2022. The prospect of snap elections had been considered high due to the political crisis that had been ongoing since 2020; political instability caused by coalition or party switching among members of Parliament, combined with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, contributed to the resignation of two prime ministers and the collapse of each of their respective coalition governments since the 2018 general elections.
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 2021 Malacca state election, formally the 15th Malacca state election, took place on 20 November 2021. This election was to elect 28 members of the 15th Malacca State Legislative Assembly. The previous assembly was dissolved on 4 October 2021.
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.
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