List of political parties in Malaysia facts for kids

Timeline of Malaysian political parties with origins from UMNO since 1946

This article is a list of political parties in Malaysia. It includes parties that exist now and those from the past. Political parties are groups of people who share similar ideas about how the country should be run. They work together to get their members elected into government so they can make decisions and laws.

How Political Parties Work in Malaysia

In Malaysia, all political parties are called "Political Associations" and must be officially registered under a law called the Societies Act. This makes sure they follow certain rules.

Rules for Politicians Changing Parties

In Malaysian politics, when a politician leaves one party to join another, it's sometimes called being a "frog" (katak politik in Malay). This term became popular during the 1994 Sabah state elections. Since May 25, 2023, many states in Malaysia have approved an "Anti-Hopping Parties Law." This law stops politicians from easily switching parties after being elected. It helps make sure politicians stay true to the party they were elected with.

Money for Elections

The Election Offences Act (1954) sets limits on how much money candidates can spend when they are campaigning for elections. For example, a candidate running for a state seat can spend up to RM100,000, and a candidate for a federal seat can spend up to RM200,000. These rules are in place to try and make elections fair. However, it can be hard to track all the money spent, and sometimes it's not clear where political parties get their funds.

Deposits for Candidates

When someone wants to run for a seat in Parliament, they have to pay a deposit of RM10,000. For a state assembly seat, the deposit is RM5,000. This money is returned after the election, unless the candidate gets less than 12.5% of the votes. There's also an extra RM5,000 deposit to help pay for cleaning up election banners and posters.

Political Donations

In Malaysia, it's legal for political parties to receive donations. There are no limits on how much money can be donated, and parties don't have to say who gave them the money. This means that where political funds come from can be a bit of a secret, even though it's allowed by law. Parties get money from:

Their members and supporters (through fees or small donations).
Organizations that agree with their views (like businesses).
Government funds (money from taxpayers).

Recent Election Results

Active Political Parties Today

Here are the main political groups and parties that have members in the Malaysian Parliament or state assemblies. They are listed by how many seats they hold in the Dewan Rakyat (the lower house of Parliament).

Coalition and Party		Abbr	Leader	Ideology	Position	Dewan Rakyat	Dewan Negara	State Assemblies	Vote share (2022)	Federal government
	Pakatan Harapan Alliance of Hope	PH	Anwar Ibrahim	Social democracy	Centre-left	82 / 222	14 / 70	139 / 607	37.46%	Government
	Perikatan Nasional National Alliance	PN	Muhyiddin Yassin	National conservatism	Centre-right to right-wing	74 / 222	15 / 70	210 / 607	30.35%	Opposition
	Barisan Nasional National Front	BN	Ahmad Zahid Hamidi	Conservatism	Right-wing	30 / 222	21 / 70	119 / 607	22.36%	Government
	Gabungan Parti Sarawak Sarawak Parties Alliance	GPS	Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg	Sarawak nationalism	Centre-right	23 / 222	6 / 70	76 / 607	3.94%	Government
	Parti Gabungan Rakyat Sabah Sabah People's Alliance Party	GRS	Hajiji Noor	Sabah nationalism	Centre	6 / 222	2 / 70	42 / 607	2.98%	Government
	Parti Warisan Heritage Party	Warisan	Shafie Apdal	Sabah progressivism	Centre-right	3 / 222	0 / 70	14 / 607	1.82%	Government
	Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat Social Democratic Harmony Party	KDM	Peter Anthony	Sabah regionalism	Centre	1 / 222	0 / 70	2 / 607	0.34%	Government
	Parti Bangsa Malaysia Malaysian Nation Party	PBM	Larry Sng	Multiracialism	Centre-left	1 / 222	0 / 70	2 / 607	0.11%	Government
	Malaysian United Democratic Alliance Ikatan Demokratik Malaysia	MUDA	Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz (Acting)	Populism	Centre-left	1 / 222	0 / 70	1 / 607	0.48%	Opposition
	Love Sabah Party Parti Cinta Sabah	PCS	Anifah Aman	Sabah regionalism	Centre	0 / 222	1 / 70	0 / 607	N/A	Government, no represented seats
The coalition contested seats in West Malaysia using the symbol of the People's Justice Party while seats in East Malaysia were contested using the symbols of the individual coalition parties. Excludes the Malaysian United Indigenous Party, which was part of the coalition in the 2018 election but subsequently left and later joined Perikatan Nasional in 2020. New alliance of parties formed in 2020. Share shown are the total seats and vote share of BERSATU, PAS and GERAKAN in the last election. Four parties that made up Barisan Nasional Sarawak announced their withdrawal from the coalition and formed the new coalition of 12 June 2018. Gabungan Rakyat Sabah Party (GRS) is an official political coalition party founded in September 2020 by Datuk Sri Panglima Hajiji Noor and successfully registered, confirmed on March 11, 2022 by Registry of Societies (RoS) The party contested in an electoral pact with Pakatan Harapan.

Main Political Coalitions

Political parties often team up to form larger groups called coalitions or alliances. This helps them win more seats in elections and form stronger governments.

Pakatan Harapan (PH, Alliance of Hope)

This coalition includes several parties working together. They are listed by when they were officially registered.

Party		Abbr	Leader	Ideology	Position	Registered	International affiliation
	Democratic Action Party Parti Tindakan Demokratik	DAP	Anthony Loke Siew Fook	• Social democracy • National secularism	Centre-left	1966	Progressive Alliance
	United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation Pertubuhan Kinabalu Progresif Bersatu	UPKO	Ewon Benedick	• Sabah regionalism • Malaysian nationalism	Centre-left	1999 (1994)	N/A
	Parti Keadilan Rakyat People's Justice Party	PKR	Anwar Ibrahim	• Social liberalism • Malaysian reformism	Centre-left	2003 (1991)	Liberal International (Observer)
	Parti Amanah Negara National Trust Party	AMANAH	Mohamad Sabu	• Islamic modernism • National progressivism	Centre-left	2015 (1978)	N/A
Originally registered as Parti Demokratik Sabah (Sabah Democratic Party) in 1994, the party was renamed as United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation in 1999 and renamed further to its current name in 2019. Originally registered as Ikatan Masyarakat Islam Malaysia (Muslim Community Union of Malaysia) in 1991, the party was reorganised with new leadership in 1999 and renamed Parti Keadilan Nasional (National Justice Party). In 2003, the party merged with Parti Rakyat Malaysia (Malaysian People's Party) and was again renamed to its current name. In 2005, a small left-wing group left the party to reorganise Parti Rakyat Malaysia just prior to its de-registration. Originally registered as Parti Pekerja-Pekerja Malaysia (Malaysian Worker's Party) in 1978, the party was reorganised with new leadership in 2015 and renamed to its current name.

Perikatan Nasional (PN, National Alliance)

This coalition also brings together several parties. They are listed by their registration year.

	Abbr	Leader	Ideology	Position	Registered	International affiliation
Parti Islam Se-Malaysia Malaysian Islamic Party	PAS	Abdul Hadi Awang	Islamism	Right-wing to far-right	1955	Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwanul Muslimin)
Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia Malaysian People's Movement Party	GERAKAN	Dominic Lau Hoe Chai	Liberalism	Centre-left	1968	Liberal International (observer)
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia Malaysian United Indigenous Party	BERSATU	Muhyiddin Yassin	Malay nationalism	Centre-right	2016	N/A

Barisan Nasional (BN, National Front)

This is another major coalition, with parties listed by their registration year.

Party		Abbr	Leader	Ideology	Position	Registered	International affiliation
	United Malays National Organisation Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu	UMNO	Ahmad Zahid Hamidi	• Ketuanan Melayu • National conservatism	Right-wing	1946 (1988)	N/A
	Malaysian Indian Congress Kongres India Malaysia	MIC	Vigneswaran Sanasee	• Malaysian Indian interest • Social conservatism	Right-wing	1946 (1963)	N/A
	Malaysian Chinese Association Persatuan Cina Malaysia	MCA	Wee Ka Siong	• Malaysian Chinese interest • Social conservatism	Right-wing	1949 (1963)	N/A
	Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah United Sabah People's Party	PBRS	Arthur Joseph Kurup	Sabah nationalism	Right-wing	1994	N/A
Originally registered in 1946, UMNO was deregistered in 1988 and the then Prime Minister registered a new party, UMNO Baru the same year. UMNO Baru is considered a successor party to the original UMNO. The suffix Baru or New was dropped from the name in July the same year Originally registered as the Malayan Indian Congress, the name was changed to the current name after the formation of Malaysia in 1963 Originally registered as the Malayan Chinese Association, the name was changed to the current name after the formation of Malaysia in 1963

Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS, Sarawak Parties Coalition)

This coalition focuses on Sarawak and its parties.

Party		Abbr	Leader	Ideology	Position	Registered	International affiliation
	Sarawak United Peoples' Party Parti Rakyat Bersatu Sarawak	SUPP	Sim Kui Hian	• Social democracy • National reformism	Centre-right	1959	N/A
	Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu United Traditional Bumiputera Party	PBB	Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg	• Ketuanan Bumiputera • Right-wing populism	Right-wing	1973	N/A
	Progressive Democratic Party Parti Demokratik Progresif	PDP	Tiong King Sing	N/A	Centre	2002 (2017)	N/A
	Parti Rakyat Sarawak Sarawak People's Party	PRS	Joseph Salang Gandum	• Sarawak nationalism • National reformism	Centre-right	2004	N/A
The party is a result of a merger between Parti Bumiputera Sarawak (Sarawak Bumiputera Party), itself a merger established in 1968 between Parti Negara Sarawak (Sarawak National Party or PANAS established in 1960) and Barisan Ra'ayat Jati Sarawak (Sarawak Native People's Front or BARJASA established in 1961), and Parti Pesaka Anak Sarawak (Sarawak Native's Heritage Party or PESAKA established in 1961) Originally registered as the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party, the name was changed to its current form to facilitate the expansion of the party beyond the state of Sarawak

Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS, Sabah People's Coalition)

This coalition focuses on Sabah and its parties.

Party		Abbr	Leader	Ideology	Position	Registered	International affiliation
	Parti Bersatu Sabah United Sabah Party	PBS	Maximus Ongkili	• Bumiputera's rights and regionalism • Social conservatism	Right-wing	1985
	Parti Liberal Demokratik Liberal Democratic Party	LDP	Chin Su Phin	Sabah regionalism Liberalism	Centre	1989
	Sabah Progressive Party Parti Maju Sabah	SAPP	Yong Teck Lee	Sabah regionalism	Centre	1994	N/A
	Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Sabah Bersatu (Baru) United Sabah National Organisation (New)	USNO	Pandikar Amin Mulia	National conservatism	Centre	2013	N/A
	Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah Sabah People's Idea Party	GAGASAN	Hajiji Noor	• Sabah nationalism • Multiracialism	Centre-right	2013
	Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku Homeland Solidarity Party	STAR	Jeffrey Kitingan	Sabah regionalism	Centre	2016
	Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah Sabah People's Hope Party	PHRS	Liew Yun Fah	Sabah regionalism	Centre	2016
This political coalition party was registered and legalised on March 11, 2022 under Societies Act 1966. Originally established as the Sabah chapter of the State Reform Party (STAR), the party was reorganised and registered separately with the ROS after STAR decided to focus solely on Sarawak regional politics.

Historical Political Parties

Many political parties have existed in Malaysia's history but are no longer active or registered. These parties played different roles in shaping the country.

Parties Before 1949

Party	Abbr	Period	Description
Communist Party of Malaya Parti Komunis Malaya	CPM	1930–1989	This party was legal for a few years before it was banned. After that, it went underground and fought against the government. In 1989, they signed a peace treaty.
Kesatuan Melayu Muda Young Malays Union	KMM	1938–1945	This was the first Malay political group. It was dissolved after Japan surrendered in 1945, but its members helped start many new parties later.
Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya Malay Nationalist Party	PKMM	1945–1948	This was a major Malay nationalist party after the war. It was banned when the Malayan Emergency began.
Malayan Democratic Union Kesatuan Demokratik Malaya	MDU	1945–1948	This was the first non-ethnic political party after the war, mainly in Singapore. It dissolved when it couldn't stop the formation of the Federation of Malaya.
Angkatan Pemuda Insaf Aware Youth Corps	API	1946–1947	This was the youth group of the Malay Nationalist Party. It was banned in 1947.
Angkatan Wanita Sedar Awakened Women's Union	AWAS	1946–1948	This was the women's group of the Malay Nationalist Party. It was banned during the Malayan Emergency.
Hizbul Muslimin Malayan Muslim People's Party	HM	1948	This party was inspired by a Muslim group and was an attempt to create a full political party. It stopped existing after some of its leaders were arrested.

Parties from 1950–1959

Party	Abbr	Period	Description
Alliance Party Parti Perikatan		1951–1973	This was a very important coalition of the United Malays National Organisation, the Malayan Chinese Association, and the Malayan Indian Congress. It later became the Barisan Nasional.
Independence of Malaya Party Parti Kemerdekaan Malaya	IMP	1951–1953	Started by Onn Jaafar, this party aimed to be multi-ethnic but didn't do well in elections and was dissolved.
Parti Negara National Party	PN	1953–1962	This party took over from the Independence of Malaya Party. It dissolved after its leader, Onn Jaafar, passed away.
Malaysia People's Progressive Party Parti Progresif Penduduk Malaysia	myPPP	1953–2019	This was a multiracial party that was part of the Barisan Nasional coalition for a long time. It was deregistered in 2019 due to leadership issues.
Labour Party of Malaya Parti Buruh Malaya	LPM	1954–1972	This party was formed by different labor groups coming together.
Malayan Peoples' Socialist Front Fron Sosialis Rakyat Malaya	FSRM	1957–1969	This was a major opposition party after Malaya became independent. It faced difficulties and eventually ended.

Parties from 1960–1969

Party	Abbr	Period	Description
United National Kadazan Organisation Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Kadazan Bersatu	UNKO	1961–1964	This was the first local party in Sabah, formed to represent the Kadazandusun community.
United Sabah National Organisation Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Sabah Bersatu	USNO	1961–1996	This party was important in Sabah politics. It dissolved in 1996, and its members joined other parties.
Sarawak National Party Parti Kebangsaan Sarawak	SNAP	1961–2013	This multi-ethnic party was part of different coalitions over the years. It was deregistered in 2013 after many internal problems.
Parti Pesaka Anak Sarawak Sarawak Native's Heritage Party	PESAKA	1962–1973	This party represented the Iban people's interests. It merged with another party in 1973.
United Democratic Party Parti Demokratik Bersatu	UDP	1962–1968	This party won one seat in the 1964 election. Its leader later helped form a new party.
Malaysian Solidarity Convention Konvensyen Solidariti Malaysia	MSC	1965	This was a short-lived group of parties that wanted to challenge communalism in Malaysia. It ended when Singapore left Malaysia.
Parti Bumiputera Bumiputera Party	PB	1967–1973	This party was a merger of two others. It later merged again to form Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu.

Parties from 1970–1979

Party	Abbr	Period	Description
North Kalimantan Communist Party Parti Komunis Kalimantan Utara	NKCP	1971–1990	This party fought against the Malaysian government until a peace agreement was signed in 1990.
Parti Keadilan Masyarakat Malaysia Malaysian Social Justice Party	PEKEMAS	1972–1982	This party was formed by members who left another party. It didn't win many elections and was eventually dissolved.
Parti Bersatu Rakyat Jelata Sabah Sabah People's United Front	BERJAYA	1976–1991	This party was very successful in Sabah politics for a while. It later merged to form the Sabah chapter of UMNO.
United Pasok Nunukragang National Organisation Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Pasok Nunukragang Bersatu	PASOK	1978–2008	This party didn't win many elections but helped many politicians rise to fame in Sabah. It was deregistered in 2008.

Parties from 1980–1989

Party	Abbr	Period	Description
Parti Hizbul Muslimin Malaysia Muslim People's Party of Malaysia	HAMIM	1983–1998	This party joined the ruling coalition for a time. It became inactive and was deregistered.
Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Sarawak Native People's Party	PBDS	1983–2004	This party represented the Dayak community in Sarawak. It split and was deregistered in 2004.
Parti Melayu Semangat 46 Spirit of 46 Malay Party	S46	1989–1996	This party was formed by a group that lost in UMNO's elections. It was part of different coalitions before dissolving in 1996.
Gagasan Rakyat People's Might	GR	1989–1996	This was a coalition of several parties. It fell apart due to disagreements and dissolved after a poor election showing.

Parties from 1990 – Present (Historical)

Party	Abbr	Period	Description
Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air Homeland People's Wellbeing Party	KITA	1995 (2011)-2012	This party was renamed in 2010 by its new chairman.
Barisan Alternatif Alternative Front	BA	1998–2004	This coalition contested elections but broke apart due to tensions between its member parties.
Pakatan Rakyat People's Pact	PR	2008 -2015	This coalition was formed after the 2008 election. It didn't get official registration but worked as an alliance. It broke apart in 2015, leading to new coalitions.
Parti Sarawak Bersatu United Sarawak Party	PSB	2014–2024	This party was formed by members who left another party in Sarawak.