Dewan Rakyat fails to pass bill to cap PM’s tenure at 10 years

 Constitutional amendment falls short of two-thirds majority in bloc vote, despite 146 MPs backing it.

The bill to limit the prime minister’s tenure was first tabled on Feb 23. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR:

 The Dewan Rakyat today failed to pass a constitutional amendment to limit the prime minister’s tenure to a maximum of 10 years after the bill fell short of the required two-thirds majority.

In the bloc vote, 146 MPs supported the bill, 44 abstained and 32 were absent.

The bill needed at least 148 votes to meet the two-thirds majority required for constitutional amendments.

The results of the vote were announced by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul.

In a Facebook post following the vote, Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Alice Lau said eight MPs from the government bloc were absent.

“All MPs from Pakatan Harapan were present and backed the bill.”

Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said tabled the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 on Feb 23, proposing a lifetime cap on the premiership, with time served counted, whether continuous or across separate terms.

The proposed amendment also stipulated that once the limit is reached, the prime minister and the Cabinet must step down but may continue in a caretaker role until a new prime minister is appointed.

During the debate, MPs from both sides supported the idea of term limits, although several raised concerns about how the limit would be calculated and how the transition would take place when a prime minister reaches the cap.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had previously said the proposed limit would apply to him first, while Azalina said former prime ministers who have already served more than 10 years would be barred from being reappointed if the bill becomes law. - FMT