Elections in Malaysia

At the federal level, voters elect the 222-member House of Representatives (Malay: Dewan Rakyat, literally "Hall of the People") of the bicameral Parliament.

Members are elected from single-member constituencies drawn based on population using the first past the post system.

However, the Prime Minister can ask the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve the Parliament at any time before this five-year period has expired.

Since independence, the parliamentary elections have most often been won by the Barisan Nasional (National Front, abbreviated BN, and its predecessor, the Alliance), a coalition of fourteen parties.

In the 2018 general elections, the Pakatan Harapan coalition defeated the BN at the federal level for the first time in history.

Before the 2008 elections, the Barisan Nasional and its predecessor the Alliance controlled most of the state assemblies in every election, while occasionally losing some states, most notably Kelantan which was controlled by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) from 1959 to 1978 (the last four years as part of BN) and again since 1990.

The worst result for the Alliance was in 1969, when it lost its majority in Perak, Selangor and Penang in addition to Kelantan.

In the 2013 elections, BN recaptured the state of Kedah, leaving Kelantan, Penang and Selangor in PR control.

The Pakatan Harapan coalition retains control of Penang and Selangor as well as capturing the states of Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor.

In 2023, after 2022 Malaysian general election held in 19 November 2022, an official local coalition of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah took control of the state of Sabah and the Gabungan Parti Sarawak remained governing the state of Sarawak.

However, in an opinion column of the New Straits Times (owned by the United Malays National Organisation or UMNO, leading party of the Barisan Nasional) quoted a professor from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia as saying that such elections would not be brought back because "policymakers know from experience worldwide that the Opposition tends to dominate such councils as part of the electorate's desire for checks-and-balances."

The professor also stated that due to required constitutional changes, it would be difficult for such amendments to pass muster in Parliament.

[4] In addition to general elections, a by-election occurs when a particular seat in the Dewan Rakyat becomes vacant.

The exception is if the vacancy occurs when the tenure for the current Parliament or state assembly is less than two years, where the seat is simply left vacant until the next general election.

It is the role of the Election Commission to draw, review and re-delineate electoral district boundaries.

Additionally in 2004 it was required that each candidate provide a RM 5,000 deposit for cleaning up banners and posters after the election.

The deposit is used to pay for infringements of election laws and is returned after polling day unless the candidate loses and fails to garner more than 1/8 of the vote.

[10] On election day, registered voters may cast their ballot for their chosen candidate in a designated voting centre.

Holidays are also declared in states where election day does not fall on a weekend to allow maximum turnout.

While campaigning is not allowed on election day, transportation is seen as something of a social service, especially since many people did not have a personal means of conveyance until the last decade or two, as of 2004.

The last task of the agent is to ensure that, on the close of voting, the ballot boxes are still secure and the seals are intact.

After the close of voting the election agents check the ballot boxes prior to opening and counting.

In recent years, the younger voters have started staying updated with the polling results via social media and news apps.

The Constitution of Malaysia stipulates that a parliament lasts for five years from the day of its first sitting unless dissolved earlier by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong due to a motion of no-confidence or at the request of the Prime Minister, and a general election must be held no more than 60 days following a dissolution.

The legitimacy of redelineation of electoral boundaries for the entire country are currently under review by the Election Commission (EC),[14] which is under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Department.

If the exercise is necessary for the next general election, amendments have to be made to the Federal Constitution and have to be passed with a two-thirds majority in Dewan Rakyat.

In accordance with Malaysian law, the parliament as well as the legislative assemblies of each state (Dewan Undangan Negeri) would automatically dissolve on the fifth anniversary of the first sitting, and elections must be held within sixty days of the dissolution, unless dissolved prior to that date by their respective Heads of State on the advice of their Heads of Government.