Next Malaysian general election


The next Malaysian general election, formally the 15th Malaysian general election, is scheduled to be held on or before 16 September 2023 to elect the members of the Dewan Rakyat in the 15th Parliament of Malaysia. All 222 seats will be up for election, presuming no constituencies are added or removed in a redistribution. As the 14th Parliament first sat on 16 July 2018, it will automatically be dissolved on 16 July 2023 if not dissolved earlier. Traditionally, elections for all state legislatures are also held concurrently.
The prospect of an early federal election in 2020 remains high due to the ongoing political crisis. As the states can dissolve their legislatures independently from Parliament, It is unclear which states will concurrently hold elections for their legislatures if Parliament is dissolved early.

Background

Previous election

The 2018 federal election resulted in a change in government for the first time in Malaysian history since direct elections were first held in 1955. Pakatan Harapan, then a centre-left coalition between four parties, won 113 seats in the Dewan Rakyat against the right-wing Barisan Nasional coalition, which won 79 seats. Pakatan Harapan entered government at the federal level with support from the Sabah Heritage Party. The concurrent state elections also saw Pakatan Harapan winning a majority for the first time in Johor, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan. Hung parliaments were recorded in Kedah, Perak and Sabah, but changes in party membership of the legislators after the election allowed Pakatan Harapan to enter government in these states as well.

Significant events

In July 2019, the Constitution Act 2019, which contained provisions to lower the voting age to 18 and allow for the automatic registration of voters, was enacted by Parliament. However, that provision is not yet in effect and is awaiting a proclamation by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The Election Commission announced in June 2020 that preparations for these changes will be ready by July 2021.
The legitimacy of the redelineation of electoral boundaries for the entire country in 2018 was in 2019 under review by the Election Commission, which is under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Department. The redelineation was approved 2 months before the previous election, which saw enormous malapportionment between constituencies. For example, in Selangor, Sabak Bernam has approximately 40,000 voters but Bangi contains 180,000 voters. However, any early redistribution would require a constitutional amendment, which necessitates a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat The status of the review is currently unknown due to the change in government during the political crisis described below.

2020 political crisis

In late February 2020, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigned, creating a power vacuum in the executive branch. A majority of the 32 members of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party withdrew from the governing Pakatan Harapan-led coalition government, causing it to lose its majority in the Dewan Rakyat, and partnered with the Barisan Nasional. On 1 March, Muhyiddin Yassin was appointed Prime Minister, and a Malaysian United Indigenous Party and Barisan Nasional-led minority government was formed.

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 constituencies using the first-past-the-post voting system; each constituency contains approximately an equal number of voters. 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.
The voting age is currently 21 although the age of majority in the country is 18. Malaysia does not currently practice compulsory voting and automatic voter registration. While the Constitution Act 2019 that provided for the voting age to be lowered to 18 and for automatic registration of voters was enacted in July 2019, that provision has not commenced and is awaiting a proclamation by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The Election Commission of Malaysia, which conducts federal and state elections, stated in June 2020 that preparations for these changes will be ready by July 2021. The Election Commission is under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Department.

Timeline

Dissolution of parliament

The 14th Parliament of Malaysia will automatically dissolve on 16 July 2023. The first meeting of the first session of the 14th Parliament of Malaysia was held on 16 July 2018.
The Constitution of Malaysia requires that a general election to be held in the fifth calendar year after the first sitting unless it is dissolved earlier by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong due to a motion of no confidence, loss of supply or at the request of the Prime Minister.

Dissolution of state legislative assemblies

While any state may dissolve its legislature independently of Parliament, most state assemblies traditionally dissolve simultaneously with Parliament. In accordance with Malaysian law, Parliament as well as the legislative assemblies of each state would automatically dissolve on the fifth anniversary of the first sitting, and elections must be held within sixty days of the dissolution, unless dissolved prior to that date by their respective heads of state on the advice of their heads of government.
Below are the dates of which the legislative assembly of each state would automatically dissolve:
Legislature Term startRefsTerm end
Next election day
Sarawak 7 June 20167 June 20217 September 2021
Selangor 26 June 201826 June 202326 August 2023
Johor 28 June 201828 June 202328 August 2023
Kelantan 28 June 201828 June 202328 August 2023
Terengganu 1 July 20181 July 20231 September 2023
Negeri Sembilan 2 July 20182 July 20232 September 2023
Pahang 2 July 20182 July 20232 September 2023
Perak 3 July 20183 July 20233 September 2023
Kedah 4 July 20184 July 20234 September 2023
Sabah 11 June 201811 September 2023
Malacca 19 July 201819 July 202319 September 2023
Perlis 20 July 201820 July 202320 September 2023
Penang 2 August 20182 August 20232 October 2023