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.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, leader of Pakatan Harapan, currently leads a coalition government consisting of PH, BN, GPS, GRS, WARISAN and other minor parties. Perikatan Nasional and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance sit as the opposition.
The 2022 general elections saw PN make gains primarily in the northern peninsular states of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu in what was dubbed as the Green Wave. It resulted in a hung parliament for the first time in Malaysian electoral history.
Electoral system
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 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, 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.
Political parties and candidates
The party commanding a majority support in the Dewan Rakyat is called upon by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to form a government and present its nominee as Prime Minister of Malaysia, whereas the largest party in the opposition bench nominates a candidate for Leader of the Opposition.Main parties
The main political coalitions competing in the next general election are Pakatan Harapan, Perikatan Nasional and Barisan Nasional. PH, a multiracial reformist coalition that won the 2018 election prior to collapsing during the 2020 political crisis, had formed a negotiated unity government in the aftermath of the 2022 election that had produced the country's first hung parliament. PN, a right-wing Malay-conservative coalition formed amid the 2020 crisis that subsequently led to it forming the government, acts as the main opposition at the federal level following its loss in 2022 and its leadership's declination to participate in the unity arrangement. BN, the country's former ruling coalition which retains substantial support and kingmaker capacity, had undergone a pragmatic shift in the aftermath of the unity arrangement: the coalition allied itself with PH, its former historical rival, as a junior coalition partner and formed an electoral pact for the upcoming election, planning to avoid seat overlaps and uniting the parties's election machinery with the goal of maintaining the unity government status quo after the election.In addition to the major national coalitions, a number of regional parties and coalitions in East Malaysia are expected to be key players in the next general election due to their ability to become kingmakers during the government formation. Gabungan Parti Sarawak, a Sarawak-based coalition formed by former BN component parties, dominates politics in Sarawak and commands a significant bloc of parliamentary seats. In Sabah, the two largest parties are Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, the ruling state government which supports stronger federal-state cooperation while being seen as closer to the unity government, and Parti Warisan, the state's main opposition which utilises 'Sabah for Sabahan' rhetoric, taking a more antagonistic stance against the federal government while simultaneously sitting in the government bench. The performance of these regional parties and their decisions to align with or against national coalitions is widely seen as a key determinant in the post-election government formation in Malaysia’s fragmented party system.
Timeline
Dissolution of parliament
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.The Parliament of Malaysia first convened on 19 December 2022. If the term of the 15th Parliament reaches its maximum date, it will automatically dissolve on 19 December 2027, paving way for an election within 60 days. The latest date for the 16th General Election will therefore be on 17 February 2028.