[9] The first party's general meeting was held on 12 October 1989, officiated by Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj.

[10] Among notable leaders that joined Semangat 46 were Marina Yusoff, Ilyani Ishak, Rais Yatim, Harun Idris, Suhaimi Kamaruddin, Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Othman Saat, Salleh Abas, Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, Tengku Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar, and Ibrahim Ali.

In 1990, Semangat 46 formed two coalitions with other opposition parties to contest the 1990 Malaysian general election.

[13] Over the next few years, Semangat 46 lost support; many of its members defected to UMNO, including the party's youth chief Ibrahim Ali.

[7] In the mid-1990s, Semangat 46's relationship with DAP deteriorated, which eventually led to the breakup of the Gagasan Rakyat (GR) coalition, shortly before the 1995 Malaysian general election.

By this time, the party's credibility was severely compromised by winning so few electoral victories and the loss of many key figures.

[14] The deputy president, Rais Yatim, lost his parliamentary seat in the 1995 election, though Tengku Razaleigh was re-elected.

[6] On 6 October 1997, an extraordinary general meeting were called and members voted for party dissolution.