Wan Azizah Wan Ismail facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yang Berhormat Dato' Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail DPPN MP
وان عزيزة وان إسماعيل
Wan Azizah in 2019
Spouse of the Prime Minister of Malaysia
Incumbent
In role 24 November 2022
Prime Minister	Anwar Ibrahim
Preceded by	Muhaini Zainal Abidin
12th Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
In office 21 May 2018 – 25 February 2020
Monarch	Muhammad V (2018–2019) Abdullah (2019–2020)
Prime Minister	Mahathir Mohamad
Preceded by	Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Succeeded by	Ismail Sabri Yaakob
11th and 13th Leader of the Opposition
In office 18 May 2015 – 10 May 2018
Monarch	Abdul Halim (2015–2016) Muhammad V (2016–2019)
Prime Minister	Najib Razak
Preceded by	Anwar Ibrahim
Succeeded by	Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Constituency	Permatang Pauh
In office 9 March 2008 – 28 August 2008
Monarch	Mizan Zainal Abidin
Prime Minister	Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Preceded by	Lim Kit Siang
Succeeded by	Anwar Ibrahim
Constituency	Permatang Pauh
Spouse of the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
In role 1 December 1993 – 2 September 1998
Prime Minister	Mahathir Mohamad
Deputy	Anwar Ibrahim
Preceded by	Dayang Heryati Abdul Rahim
Succeeded by	Endon Mahmood
Party leadership 1st President of the Pakatan Harapan Incumbent Assumed office 14 July 2017 Deputy Lim Guan Eng (2017–2022) Anthony Loke Siew Fook (since 2022) Mohamad Sabu Wilfred Madius Tangau (2021–2023) Ewon Benedick (since 2023) Chairman Mahathir Mohamad (2017–2020) Anwar Ibrahim (since 2020) Preceded by Position established 1st President of the People's Justice Party In office 4 April 1999 – 17 November 2018 Deputy Chandra Muzaffar (1999–2001) Syed Husin Ali (2003–2010) Azmin Ali (2010–2018) Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Anwar Ibrahim
Parliamentary offices Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Bandar Tun Razak Incumbent Assumed office 19 November 2022 Preceded by Kamaruddin Jaafar Majority 9,817 (2022) Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Pandan In office 9 May 2018 – 19 November 2022 Preceded by Rafizi Ramli Succeeded by Rafizi Ramli Majority 52,543 (2018) Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Permatang Pauh In office 7 May 2015 – 9 May 2018 Preceded by Anwar Ibrahim Succeeded by Nurul Izzah Anwar Majority 8,841 (2015) In office 29 November 1999 – 31 July 2008 Preceded by Anwar Ibrahim Succeeded by Anwar Ibrahim Majority 9,077 (1999) 590 (2004) 13,388 (2008) Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly for Kajang In office 7 April 2014 – 9 May 2018 Preceded by Lee Chin Cheh Succeeded by Hee Loy Sian Majority 5,379 (2014)
Personal details
Born	(1952-12-03) 3 December 1952 (age 72) KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Colony of Singapore (now Singapore)
Political party	PKR (1999–present)
Spouse	Anwar Ibrahim ​ (m. 1980)​
Relations	Ibrahim Abdul Rahman [ms] (Father-in-law)
Children	6, including Nurul Izzah
Alma mater	Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Ophthalmologist

Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail (born 3 December 1952) is a Malaysian politician. She made history as the first woman to become the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, serving from 2018 to 2020. Since November 2022, she has also been the Spouse of the Prime Minister, as she is married to Anwar Ibrahim.

Wan Azizah was the second woman in Malaysia to lead a political party. She helped create the National Justice Party in 1999, which later became the People's Justice Party (PKR). She also became Malaysia's first female Leader of the Opposition in 2008. Her work has helped to encourage more women to become leaders in Malaysian politics.

Early Life and Education

Wan Azizah was born on 3 December 1952 in Singapore. Her mother, who had a basic education, raised her. She was brought up as a Malay Muslim, and her grandfather had Peranakan roots.

She started her schooling at St. Nicholas Convent School. Then, she went to Tunku Kurshiah College for her secondary education. Later, she studied medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. There, she won a gold medal for her studies in obstetrics (childbirth) and gynaecology (women's health). She also became an ophthalmologist, which is an eye doctor.

Wan Azizah worked as a government doctor for 14 years. She stopped working as a doctor when her husband, Anwar Ibrahim, became the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia in 1993. During that time, she also became a supporter of the National Cancer Council.

Starting in Politics

After her husband faced difficulties in 1998, Wan Azizah became a leader in the Reformasi movement. This movement called for changes in the government. In April 1999, she founded the Social Justice Movement, which was later named the National Justice Party (PKN).

She was the first woman in Malaysia to lead a political party. She also became the first woman to represent a political party in Parliament. She won the Permatang Pauh seat in the 1999 election. She won with a large number of votes.

Wan Azizah worked to bring together different opposition groups. She wanted them to challenge the government led by Mahathir Mohamad. She believed that many Malaysians were unhappy with the government. They were concerned about issues like power abuse, corruption, and economic problems.

In August 2003, her party, PKN, joined with the Malaysian People's Party (PRM). They formed a new party called the People's Justice Party (PKR). Wan Azizah became the president of this new party.

In the 2004 general election, she kept her Permatang Pauh seat. She was the only PKR member in Parliament at that time. Her party won more seats in the 2008 general election. They also helped form governments in several states like Perak and Selangor.

Leading the Opposition

On 30 April 2008, Wan Azizah became the Leader of the Opposition. This meant she was the main leader of the parties not in power. She was the first woman to hold this important role in Malaysia.

In 2014, Wan Azizah ran for the Kajang seat in a special election. She won the seat on 23 March 2014. In 2015, she also won back the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat. This seat had been left empty by her husband, Anwar Ibrahim.

On 18 May 2015, she was sworn in again as the Leader of the Opposition. In 2016, she helped create an alliance of opposition parties. This group was called the Alliance of Hope. By 2018, this alliance chose Mahathir Mohamad as their candidate for prime minister. Wan Azizah was chosen as his possible deputy. This alliance worked together to win the 2018 general election.

Deputy Prime Minister

In the 2018 general election, Wan Azizah won the Pandan seat. She received a very large number of votes. On 21 May 2018, she was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister. She was sworn in by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V. At the same time, she also became the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development.

During her time as Deputy Prime Minister, Wan Azizah visited other countries. In February 2019, she met with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei. In July of the same year, she met with the Vice President of China, Wang Qishan. She also praised three women who bravely spoke out about problems in a government audit report. She encouraged more women to join efforts against corruption.

Wan Azizah left her role as Deputy Prime Minister on 25 February 2020.

Later Life and Recent Role

In the 2022 general election, Wan Azizah won the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary seat. She won with a good number of votes. Since November 2022, she has served as the Spouse of the Prime Minister, supporting her husband, Anwar Ibrahim, in his role.

Awards and Honours

Wan Azizah has received several awards and honours for her work.

Awards

• She received the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award in Ophthalmology. This award is for her contributions to eye medicine.
• She was also given the Eminent Educator Award by the College of Physicians Malaysia.

Honours

• On 7 July 2023, she was given an honorary fellowship by the Academy of Medicine Malaysia.
• On 9 September 2023, she received an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Selangor.
• On 14 December 2023, a new type of orchid was named after her during a special event.
•  Penang :
  • Knight Commander of the Order of the Defender of State (DPPN) – Dato' Seri (2008)

See also

In Spanish: Wan Azizah Wan Ismail para niños