Race and politics Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail (Jawi: وان عزيزة بنت وان إسماعيل; born 3 December 1952) is a Malaysian politician who has served as Spouse of the Prime Minister of Malaysia as the wife of Anwar Ibrahim, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bandar Tun Razak since November 2022 and 1st President of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition since July 2017.
She went on to study medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland where she was awarded a gold medal in Obstetrics and Gynaecology[6] and she later graduated as a qualified Ophthalmologist.
[7] Wan Azizah served as a government doctor for 14 years before deciding to focus on volunteering work, when her husband, Anwar Ibrahim was appointed the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia in 1993.
She first led the Social Justice Movement (ADIL), a civil rights NGO, before helping to establish the Parti Keadilan Nasional on 4 April 1999.
With the public announcement by Anwar Ibrahim regarding his intention to return to active politics despite being legally barred from doing so,[15] Wan Azizah indicated her readiness to vacate the position of party president if he was elected.
[25] On 7 January 2018, the opposition alliance Pakatan Harapan announced Mahathir Mohamad as their candidate for Prime Minister in the 2018 election, with Wan Azizah as Deputy.