Malaysian Parliament falls short of two-thirds majority to cap PM’s term at 10 years

The Bill only received 146 votes in favour of the motion. Read more at straitstimes.com.

KUALA LUMPUR – In a surprise development, the Malaysian Parliament on March 2 failed to pass a constitutional amendment Bill to limit the prime minister's tenure to 10 years – one of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s reform promises in an attempt to regain support among urban voters.The motion barely failed to pass with just 146 ayes, instead of the 148 required to go over the two-thirds majority required to amend the Federal Constitution. Forty-four MPs had abstained, while 32 were absent.Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman Said, who tabled the Bill, earlier said the introduction of a 10-year limit would serve as an objective measure.“It is appropriate not to tie the limit to parliamentary terms, as Parliament may be dissolved earlier. Such an approach helps avoid administrative instability while preventing the concentration of power for too long,” she said during the wrap-up session before the House proceeded with the second and third reading votes.

Ms Azalina said a statement will be issued on the matter soon.

First among the Westminster parliamentary systems, the 10-year PM limit is part of Datuk Seri Anwar’s institutional reform announcement on Jan 5. Other reforms include the separation of the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor roles, which is scheduled for debate on March 3.Mr Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition had pledged to introduce a term limit for the prime minister in its manifesto for the 2022 general election, aiming to curb the “damage” caused by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who remained in power for 22 years until 2003, before returning for a second stint of 22 months from 2018 to 2020 – the longest tenure in Malaysian history.According to the constitution, the prime minister can serve as long as he commands majority support in the Lower House of the Parliament.

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