The Bill is ready, the term limit is ready.
KUALA LUMPUR: The proposed constitutional amendment to limit the Prime Minister’s tenure to 10 years is ready to be re-tabled in Parliament, but the timing of a fresh vote has yet to be decided, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
She said the Bill had been finalised, with the decision on whether to bring it back for a vote in the current parliamentary session resting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his capacity as Leader of the House.
“Everything is ready. The Bill is ready, the term limit is ready.
“It is subject to the Leader of the House, the Prime Minister, determining whether we want to bring it for a vote in this session,” she told reporters after launching a public consultation on the proposed Coroner Bill here today.
Azalina said the proposed amendment, like the planned separation of the Attorney-General and Public Prosecutor roles, requires a two-thirds majority as both reforms involve amendments to the Federal Constitution.
The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 was first tabled on Feb 23 to amend Article 43 and impose an aggregate maximum tenure of 10 years on anyone serving as Prime Minister, whether continuously or otherwise.
However, the Bill failed to secure the required two-thirds majority at the second-reading stage on March 2 after receiving 146 votes, two short of the 148 needed.
Another 44 MPs abstained, while 32 were absent.
Two days later, the Cabinet agreed that the Bill would be re-tabled during the June parliamentary sitting, with the government saying it would work to secure sufficient support and attendance among its MPs.
However, the proposed amendment was not put to another vote during the June-July sitting, with Parliament’s latest Bills record continuing to list D.R.4/2026 as having failed to obtain the required two-thirds majority at its second reading.
Azalina had previously said the reform was aimed at preventing excessive concentration of political power and strengthening checks and balances within the country’s democratic system.
