He was also the sixth president of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the largest political party (at the time) in Malaysia, and led the governing Barisan Nasional (BN) parliamentary coalition.

During the later part of Abdullah's administration, his government faced criticism for economic policies and performance, including concerns about inflation and the rising cost of living.

[10] After graduating from the University of Malaya, he joined the Malaysian Administrative and Diplomatic Corps (the formal term for civil service).

Abdullah was a close supporter of his political mentor Musa Hitam in Team B and as a result, he was sacked from his post of Minister of Defence in the Cabinet.

The victory was widely regarded as an approval of his vision of moderate Islam over religious fundamentalism as well as support for his anti-corruption policies.

Under the Abdullah administration, the country was moving down to a value-chain economy by developing its inherent strengths in agriculture without losing its existing manufacturing base.

[11] However, Abdullah was criticized for his handling of the sudden hikes in petrol and electricity prices due to the restructuring of government subsidies, especially as it was detrimental to Malaysia's position as a traditional exporter.

This was a symbolic gesture which emulated the actions of Malaya's first prime minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman when the latter declared independence from the British in 1957.

[13] Abdullah won a second term as prime minister by winning the 2008 general election, held in March 2008, with a reduced majority.

Although his party, Barisan Nasional, suffered a major setback, Abdullah vowed to fulfil the promises in his manifesto amid calls from Mahathir, the opposition and even among UMNO members for him to resign.

[16] Abdullah unveiled a streamlined 68-member Cabinet on 18 March 2008, dropping half the ministers in his previous administration and keeping the crucial finance portfolio for himself.

He tendered his resignation as a protest to the government's action in detaining a blogger, a member of parliament and a reporter under the Internal Security Act.

[19] Abdullah was under heavy pressure to step down after many within his UMNO party including former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad openly asked him to take full responsibility for the dismal performance during the 12th General Election in March 2008.

[30] Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has been criticised after one of his son's companies was found to be producing components for centrifuges purported to be intended for use in Libya's secret uranium enrichment program.

In 2005, it was alleged that under Abdullah Badawi's administration, there had been a significant increase in cases of cronyism regarding the distribution of import permits for foreign-manufactured vehicles.

Later, Mahathir Mohamad criticised Abdullah for cancelling a number of development projects that the former had started, such as the construction of a bridge to replace the causeway linking Malaysia and Singapore.

[31] On 18 June 2008, the Sabah Progressive Party, a member of the 14-party ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, said its two legislators in the federal parliament will move or back a motion of no-confidence against Abdullah.

On 9 June, a private ceremony was conducted at the Prime Minister's residence, Seri Perdana, and attended by close relatives.

[34] Abdullah also has been criticised for allowing his brother Fahim Ibrahim Badawi to buy 51 percent of the government-controlled MAS Catering Sdn Bhd.

[37] On 11 September 2022, Khairy said that Abdullah was suffering from dementia, unable to recognize or remember family members, and requires the use of a wheelchair.