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Prime Minister of Malaysia
Office-of-Prime-Minister-Of-Malaysia.png
Emblem of the Prime Minister's Office
Coat of arms of Malaysia.svg
Coat of arms of Malaysia
Anwar Ibrahim June 2025.jpg
Incumbent
Anwar Ibrahim

since 24 November 2022
Government of Malaysia
Prime Minister's Department
Style Prime Minister
(informal)
Yang Amat Berhormat
(formal)
The Right Honourable
(within the Commonwealth)
His Excellency
(diplomatic)
Member of
Reports to Parliament
Residence Seri Perdana, Putrajaya
Seat Perdana Putra, Putrajaya
Appointer Yang di-Pertuan Agong
Term length Five years, renewable
Constituting instrument Constitution of Malaysia
Inaugural holder Tunku Abdul Rahman
Formation 31 August 1957; 67 years ago (1957-08-31)
Salary RM22,826.65/US$ 5,106 per month


The Prime Minister of Malaysia (called Perdana Menteri Malaysia in Malay) is the main leader of the Malaysian government. This person is in charge of the executive branch, which means they lead the daily running of the country.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Malaysia's King) chooses the Prime Minister. This person must be a member of Parliament (MP) who the King believes has the support of most other MPs. Usually, the Prime Minister is the leader of the political party that wins the most seats in a general election.

After Malaysia was formed on September 16, 1963, Tunku Abdul Rahman became the first Prime Minister. He was previously the chief minister of Malaya.

The current Prime Minister is Anwar Ibrahim. He was chosen after the general election in November 2022.

How a Prime Minister is Chosen

Perdana Putra building 2005
The Prime Minister's office at Perdana Putra, Putrajaya.

The Federal Constitution of Malaysia explains how a Prime Minister is chosen. First, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints a Prime Minister to lead the Cabinet. This person must be a Malaysian citizen and a member of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives). The King must believe this person has the support of most members in that House.

The Prime Minister then advises the King on choosing other ministers. These ministers can be from either the Dewan Rakyat or the Dewan Negara (Senate). Before starting their jobs, the Prime Minister and all Cabinet ministers must take an oath. This oath promises they will do their duty and keep secrets.

The Cabinet works together and is responsible to the Parliament of Malaysia. Cabinet members cannot hold other jobs that make money or be involved in businesses that could cause a conflict of interest. The Prime Minister's Department helps the Prime Minister carry out their duties.

If the government's budget is not approved by the House of Representatives, or if the House votes that it no longer trusts the government (a "no confidence" vote), the Prime Minister usually has to resign. The King then decides who will be the next Prime Minister. Other ministers stay in their jobs unless the King removes them, usually on the Prime Minister's advice. Ministers can also choose to resign.

If a Prime Minister resigns for other reasons, loses an election, or passes away, the King typically appoints the new leader of the winning party or group of parties as the next Prime Minister. Malaysia uses a "first-past-the-post" voting system. This means the party or group that wins 112 seats in the lower house gets to form the government.

What Powers Does the Prime Minister Have?

The Prime Minister's power has some limits. If a Prime Minister is removed as their party's leader, or if their government loses a "no confidence" vote, they must ask for a new election or resign. If a bill about spending money (a "supply bill") is not passed, or if important laws cannot be passed, the government might have to resign. This is because a government that cannot spend money cannot properly run the country.

The Prime Minister's party usually has the most seats in the House of Representatives. Because political parties in Malaysia are very organized, it's usually easy for the government's laws to pass.

The Constitution says the Prime Minister advises the King on many important appointments, such as:

  • Federal ministers (full members of the Cabinet).
  • Federal deputy ministers and parliamentary secretaries.
  • 44 out of 70 Senators in the Dewan Negara.
  • When the Dewan Rakyat should meet and end its sessions.
  • Judges for the higher courts (High Courts, Court of Appeal, and Federal Court).
  • The attorney-general and the auditor-general.
  • Leaders and members of various important commissions, like the Election Commission and the Armed Forces Council.

Even though the King has executive power, the Constitution states that he usually acts on the advice of the Cabinet or a minister. This means the Prime Minister and Cabinet actually hold most of the governing power.

Acting Prime Minister

Sometimes, a Prime Minister needs to travel for work. During these times, a deputy is appointed to take their place temporarily. This person is called an acting Prime Minister. The King can also appoint an acting Prime Minister if the position becomes empty due to a sudden resignation or the death of the Prime Minister.

Caretaker Prime Minister

The lower house of Parliament, the Dewan Rakyat, usually lasts for five years. After Parliament is dissolved (ended), there is a general election. During the time between the old Parliament ending and the new one starting, the Prime Minister and Cabinet stay in office as a "caretaker" government. They handle the country's affairs until a new government is formed.

List of Prime Ministers of Malaysia

Here is a list of the Prime Ministers of Malaysia. The colors show which political group they belonged to.

      Alliance Party (2)       Barisan Nasional (6)       Pakatan Harapan (2)       Perikatan Nasional (1)

# Portrait Prime Minister
(Born–Died)
Area Represented
Time in Office Election Won Party Government Monarch(s)
Started Ended Total Days
1 Tunku abd rahman (cropped, 4to3 port).jpg His Highness
Tunku Abdul Rahman
تونکو عبد الرحمن‎
(1903–1990)
MP for Kuala Kedah
31 August
1957
22 September
1970
13 years, 23 days 1955 Alliance (UMNO) Rahman I Abdul Rahman

Hisamuddin


Putra


Ismail Nasiruddin


Abdul Halim

1959 Rahman II
1964 Rahman III
1969 Rahman IV
2 Tun Abdul Razak Universiti (4to3).jpg Tun Haji
Abdul Razak Hussein
عبد الرزاق حسين‎
(1922–1976)
MP for Pekan
22 September
1970
14 January
1976
5 years, 115 days Alliance (UMNO) Razak I Abdul Halim

Yahya Petra

1974 BN (UMNO) Razak II
3 Tun Hussein Onn.jpg Tun
Hussein Onn
حسين عون‎
(1922–1990)
MP for Sri Gading
15 January
1976
16 July
1981
5 years, 183 days BN (UMNO) Hussein I Yahya Petra

Ahmad Shah

1978 Hussein II
4 2016 Malakka, Budynek-memoriał Proklamacji Niepodległości, Ekspozycja w środku muzeum (Mahathir Mohamad).jpg Tun Dr.
Mahathir Mohamad
محاضير محمد‎
(born 1925)
MP for Kubang Pasu
16 July
1981
30 October
2003
22 years, 107 days BN (UMNO) Mahathir I Ahmad Shah

Iskandar


Azlan Shah


Ja'afar


Salahuddin


Sirajuddin

1982 Mahathir II
1986 Mahathir III
1990 Mahathir IV
1995 Mahathir V
1999 Mahathir VI
5 Condoleezza Rice et Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (cropped, 3to4 portrait).jpg Tun
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
عبد الله أحمد بدوي‎
(1939–2025)
MP for Kepala Batas
31 October
2003
3 April
2009
5 years, 155 days BN (UMNO) Abdullah I Sirajuddin

Mizan Zainal Abidin

2004 Abdullah II
2008 Abdullah III
6 Dato Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak (9to12).JPG Dato' Sri
Mohd Najib Abdul Razak
محمد نجيب عبد الرزاق‎
(born 1953)
MP for Pekan
3 April
2009
9 May
2018
9 years, 37 days BN (UMNO) Najib I Mizan Zainal Abidin

Abdul Halim


Muhammad V

2013 Najib II
7 Mahathir Mohamad 13112018 (cropped).jpg Tun Dr.
Mahathir Mohamad
محاضير محمد‎
(born 1925)
MP for Langkawi
10 May
2018
24 February
2020
1 year, 291 days 2018 PH (BERSATU) Mahathir VII Muhammad V

Abdullah

During this time, the Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, was the Interim Prime Minister (February 24–March 1, 2020). Abdullah
8 Muhyiddin Yassin (51087589446) (cropped).jpg Tan Sri Dato' Haji
Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin
محيي الدين محمد ياسين‎
(born 1947)
MP for Pagoh
1 March
2020
16 August
2021
1 year, 169 days PN (BERSATU) Muhyiddin
During this time, the Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, was the Caretaker Prime Minister (August 16–21, 2021).
9 Ismail Sabri Yaakob 01042022 (cropped).jpg Dato' Sri
Ismail Sabri Yaakob
إسماعيل صبري يعقوب‎
(born 1960)
MP for Bera
21 August
2021
24 November
2022
1 year, 96 days BN (UMNO) Ismail Sabri
10 Anwar Ibrahim June 2025.jpg Dato' Seri
Anwar Ibrahim
أنوار إبراهيم‎‎
(born 1947)
MP for Tambun
24 November
2022
Incumbent 2 years, 249 days (2022) PH (PKR) Anwar Abdullah

Ibrahim Iskandar

Prime Minister Timeline

Anwar Ibrahim Ismail Sabri Yaakob Muhyiddin Yassin Mahathir Mohamad Mohd Najib Abdul Razak Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Hussein Onn Abdul Razak Hussein Tunku Abdul Rahman

Acting and Interim Prime Ministers

Sometimes, a Prime Minister might not be able to perform their duties for a short period. In such cases, another person might step in as an "acting" or "interim" Prime Minister. These roles are temporary.

Colour key (for political parties):

      Alliance Party       Barisan Nasional       Pakatan Harapan       Perikatan Nasional

Portrait Name

(Born–Died)

Time in Office Notes Political Party
Tun Abdul Razak (MY 2nd PM).jpg Abdul Razak Hussein
(1922–1976)
19 August 1959 19 November 1959 Abdul Razak Hussein was the acting Prime Minister when Tunku Abdul Rahman stepped down for three months. This was to help Tunku Abdul Rahman focus on his party's campaign for the 1959 federal elections. Alliance Party
(UMNO)
Ismail Abdul Rahman.jpeg Ismail Abdul Rahman
(1915–1973)
22 September 1970 22 September 1970 Ismail Abdul Rahman sometimes acted as Prime Minister when Tunku Abdul Rahman and Abdul Razak Hussein were away.
Tun VT Sambanthan.png V. T. Sambanthan
(1919–1979)
3 August 1973 13 August 1973 V. T. Sambanthan served as acting Prime Minister for a short time. This happened when Abdul Razak Hussein was overseas and his deputy, Ismail Abdul Rahman, had passed away. Alliance Party
(MIC)
Ling Liong Sik
(b. 1943)
4 February 1988 16 February 1988 Ling Liong Sik became acting Prime Minister for a few days in 1988. This was when the main party, UMNO, faced legal issues. Barisan Nasional
(MCA)
Anwar 980416.jpg Anwar Ibrahim
(b. 1947)
19 May 1997 19 July 1997 Anwar Ibrahim acted as Prime Minister for two months in 1997 while Mahathir Mohamad was on vacation. Barisan Nasional
(UMNO)
Mahathir Mohamad in 18th Summit of Non-Aligned Movement (cropped).jpg Mahathir Mohamad
(b. 1925)
24 February 2020 1 March 2020 During a political situation in 2020, Mahathir Mohamad was appointed as the interim Prime Minister by the King after he resigned. This was a temporary role until a new Prime Minister was chosen. Pakatan Harapan
(BERSATU)
Muhyiddin Yassin (51087589446) (cropped).jpg Muhyiddin Yassin
(b. 1947)
16 August 2021 21 August 2021 The King appointed Muhyiddin Yassin as a caretaker Prime Minister in August 2021. This was a temporary role until a new Prime Minister was appointed a few days later. Perikatan Nasional
(BERSATU)

Prime Ministers by Time in Office

This list shows how long each Prime Minister has served. The number of days is calculated from when they started until they left office.

Ismail Sabri Yaakob served the shortest time as Prime Minister. Mahathir Mohamad served the longest. Mahathir is also the only Prime Minister to have served more than three full terms. He is also the only one to have left office and then returned for a second time.

Rank Prime Minister Length
in days
Order of Prime Ministership Number of Terms
1 Mahathir Mohamad 8,805 4th • 16 July 1981 – 31 October 2003
7th • 10 May 2018 – 1 March 2020
One partial term (9 months, and 10 days)
followed by four full terms
and two non-consecutive partial terms
(3 years, 11 months, and 2 days)
and (1 year, 9 months, and 20 days)
2 Tunku Abdul Rahman &&&&&&&&&&&04770.&&&&&04,770 1st • 31 August 1957 – 22 September 1970 Three full terms
followed by one partial term (4 months, 12 days)
3 Najib Razak &&&&&&&&&&&03324.&&&&&03,324 6th • 3 April 2009 – 10 May 2018 One partial term (4 years, 1 month, and 2 days)
followed by one full term
4 Hussein Onn &&&&&&&&&&&02009.&&&&&02,009 3rd • 15 January 1976 – 16 July 1981 Two partial terms (2 years, 6 months, and 7 days)
and (2 years, 11 months, and 24 days)
5 Abdullah Ahmad Badawi &&&&&&&&&&&01981.&&&&&01,981 5th • 31 October 2003 – 3 April 2009 One partial term (4 months, and 21 days)
followed by one full term
and one partial term (1 year, and 26 days)
6 Abdul Razak Hussein &&&&&&&&&&&01940.&&&&&01,940 2nd • 22 September 1970 – 14 January 1976 Two partial terms (3 years, 11 months, and 23 days)
and (1 year, and 4 months)
7 Anwar Ibrahim &&&&&&&&&&&&0979.&&&&&0979 10th • 24 November 2022 – Incumbent Currently serving
8 Muhyiddin Yassin &&&&&&&&&&&&0538.&&&&&0538 8th • 1 March 2020 – 21 August 2021 One partial term (1 year, 5 months, and 20 days)
9 Ismail Sabri Yaakob &&&&&&&&&&&&0460.&&&&&0460 9th • 21 August 2021 – 24 November 2022 One partial term (1 year, 3 months, and 3 days)

Prime Ministers by Age

This table shows the age of each Prime Minister when they started and finished their time in office. It also shows how old they were when they passed away, or their current age if they are still living.

  • The youngest person to become Prime Minister was Abdul Razak Hussein, who was 48 years old.
  • The oldest person to become Prime Minister was Mahathir Mohamad (as the 7th Prime Minister), who was almost 93 years old.
  • Abdul Razak Hussein was also the youngest Prime Minister when his time in office ended, at age 53. He also had the shortest life among all Prime Ministers.
  • Hussein Onn was the youngest person to become a former Prime Minister, at age 59.
  • The oldest Prime Minister at the end of his time in office was Mahathir (as the 7th Prime Minister), at 94.
  • Ismail Sabri Yaakob had the shortest time as a former Prime Minister after leaving office at age 62.
  • Tunku Abdul Rahman had the longest retirement, living for 20 years after leaving office.
  • At age 100, Mahathir is the oldest living Prime Minister and has lived the longest. He is the only Malaysian Prime Minister to have lived into his 90s.
  • The youngest living Prime Minister is Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is 65 years old.
No. Prime Minister Born Age at
start of Prime Ministership
Age at
end of Prime Ministership
Post-Prime Ministership
Time
Lifespan
Died Age
1 Rahman, Tunku AbdulTunku Abdul Rahman 8 Feb 1903 54 years, 204 days
31 Aug 1957
67 years, 226 days
22 Sep 1970
20 years, 75 days 6 Dec 1990 87 years, 301 days
2 Hussein, Abdul RazakAbdul Razak Hussein 11 Mar 1922 48 years, 195 days
22 Sep 1970
53 years, 309 days
14 Jan 1976
0 days 2025-07-3014 Jan 1976 53 years, 309 days
3 Hussein Onn 12 Feb 1922 53 years, 337 days
15 Jan 1976
59 years, 154 days
16 Jul 1981
8 years, 317 days 29 May 1990 68 years, 106 days
4 Mohamad, MahathirMahathir Mohamad 10 Jul 1925 56 years, 6 days
16 Jul 1981
78 years, 113 days
31 Oct 2003
14 years, 191 days (Living) 100 years, 20 days
5 Abdullah Ahmad Badawi 26 Nov 1939 63 years, 339 days
31 Oct 2003
69 years, 128 days
3 Apr 2009
16 years, 11 days 2025-07-3014 Apr 2025 85 years, 139 days
6 Razak, NajibNajib Razak 23 Jul 1953 55 years, 254 days
3 Apr 2009
64 years, 291 days
10 May 2018
7 years, 81 days 2025-07-30(Living) 72 years, 7 days
7 Mahathir Mohamad 10 Jul 1925 92 years, 304 days
10 May 2018
94 years, 235 days
1 Mar 2020
5 years, 151 days 2025-07-30(Living) 100 years, 20 days
8 Muhyiddin Yassin 15 May 1947 72 years, 291 days
1 Mar 2020
74 years, 98 days
21 Aug 2021
3 years, 343 days 2025-07-30(Living) 78 years, 76 days
9 Ismail Sabri Yaakob 18 Jan 1960 61 years, 215 days
21 Aug 2021
62 years, 310 days
24 Nov 2022
2 years, 248 days 2025-07-30(Living) 65 years, 193 days
10 Anwar Ibrahim 10 Aug 1947 75 years, 106 days
24 Nov 2022
(Incumbent) (Incumbent) 2025-07-30(Living) 77 years, 354 days
# Prime Minister Born Age at
start of Prime Ministership
Age at
end of Prime Ministership
Post-Prime Ministership
Time
Died Age

Living Former Prime Ministers

After leaving office, former Prime Ministers usually receive certain benefits from the government. They continue to be important national figures.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Primer ministro de Malasia para niños

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