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THE Dewan Rakyat today failed to pass the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026, which seeks to limit the prime minister's tenure to 10 years, after it did not secure the required two-thirds majority support.
Only 146 Members of Parliament supported it, while 32 Members of Parliament were absent and 44 Members of Parliament abstained.
The result of the split vote was announced by the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Tan Sri Johari Abdul, after it was debated by 41 Members of Parliament from the government and the opposition.
Any approval of the Federal Constitution amendment Bill requires the support of at least 148 Members of Parliament.
This saw the first Bill tabled, involving amendments to Article 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution, fail to be brought for the third reading and subsequently passed.
This Bill was tabled for the first reading last week by the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
The second reading was done by Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, today, followed by a debate session by Members of Parliament.
The failure to pass the Bill thus gives an uncertain sign to another important amendment Bill tomorrow, which is related to the separation of the roles of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor, which also requires the support of a two-thirds majority of Members of Parliament.
Azalina, while winding up the Bill, stressed that this amendment was drafted and tabled entirely within the framework of the Federal Constitution and with unwavering respect for the institution of the Rulers.
She said that the constitution itself has clearly provided for the categories of amendments that require the consent of the Conference of Rulers under Article 1595 and Article 38(4). "This amendment does not fall into any of those categories and does not affect the sovereignty, prerogatives or position of the Rulers.
“Therefore, the government is acting in accordance with the procedure set by the Constitution, namely through the mechanism of Article 159(3)," she said.
She said that setting a term limit does not affect His Majesty's prerogatives, but rather defines the parameters of individual qualifications that can be considered, hence there is no question of reducing the power of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
"The 10-year limit was chosen because it is an objective, uniform measure of time and is in line with the constitutional structure that does not bind the Prime Minister's position to a fixed term since Parliament can be dissolved at any time.
"This approach avoids uncertainty of interpretation regarding the term while maintaining sufficient space for policy continuity and administrative stability without allowing for excessive concentration of power," she said.
Earlier, when tabling the Bill for second reading, Anwar said the proposed amendments to the Bill did not change the basis of parliamentary democracy and did not affect the prerogative powers of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
The proposed amendments, he said, which were drafted in line with the framework of the Federal Constitution, did not reduce the role of the Dewan Rakyat in determining confidence in the government.
On the contrary, the proposal, the Prime Minister said, strengthened the constitutional structure through a clear provision to strengthen the country's system of checks and balances. – March 2, 2026