The next general election in Malaysia is scheduled to be held on or before February 2028. It will determine the composition of the Dewan Rakyat, which determines the government of Malaysia. Redistribution and boundary changes for the constituencies are expected to take place by 2026, with the last taking place before the 2018 general election.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, leader of Pakatan Harapan (PH), currently leads a coalition government consisting of PH, BN, GPS, GRS, WARISAN and other minor parties. Perikatan Nasional (PN) and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) sit as the opposition.

The 2022 general elections saw PN make gains primarily in the northern peninsular states of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu in what was dubbed as the Green Wave. It resulted in a hung parliament for the first time in Malaysian electoral history.

Electoral system

Elections in Malaysia are conducted at the federal and state levels. Federal elections elect members of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of Parliament, while state elections in each of the 13 states elect members of their respective state legislative assembly. As Malaysia follows the Westminster system of government, the head of government (Prime Minister at the federal level and the Chief Ministers, the so-called , at the state level) is the person who commands the confidence of the majority of members in the respective legislature – this is normally the leader of the party or coalition with the majority of seats in the legislature.

The Dewan Rakyat consists of 222 members, known as Members of Parliament (MPs), that are elected for five-year terms. Each MP is elected from a single-member constituency using the first-past-the-post voting system. If one party obtains a majority of seats, then that party is entitled to form the government, with its leader becoming the Prime Minister. In the event of a hung parliament, where no single party obtains the majority of seats, the government may still form through a coalition or a confidence and supply agreement with other parties. In practice, coalitions and alliances in Malaysia generally persist between elections, and member parties do not normally contest for the same seats.

Political parties and candidates

The party commanding a majority support in the Dewan Rakyat is called upon by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to form a government and present its nominee as Prime Minister of Malaysia, whereas the largest party in the opposition bench nominates a candidate for Leader of the Opposition.

Main parties The incumbent ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition had previously won the 2018 election prior to collapsing in the aftermath of the 2020 political crisis. Following the 2022 election that resulted in the country's first hung parliament, the multiracial and reformist coalition formed a negotiated unity government under the leadership of longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Perikatan Nasional (PN) acts as the main opposition at the federal level following its loss in 2022 and the leadership's refusal to participate in the unity arrangement. The far-right former ruling coalition was formed amid the 2020 crisis which led to the formation of a PN-led government under Muhyiddin Yassin. Barisan Nasional (BN), the country's former ruling coalition of 61 years, continues to retain substantial support and kingmaker capacity. The coalition had undergone a pragmatic shift in the aftermath of the last election, participating in the unity government and allying itself with PH, its longtime historical rival, as a junior coalition partner. The two coalitions also planned an electoral pact for the upcoming election, intending to avoid seat overlaps while uniting their election machineries with the goal of maintaining the pre-election status quo. Two allied and component parties of Pakatan Harapan in the previous election has ended their cooperation with PH for various reasons. MUDA defected into opposition in 2023, citing No Further Action decision on Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi's corruption scandal as trigger, eventually forming Blok Progresif with left wing parties such as Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM). while UPKO quit before the 2025 Sabah election and decided to join GRS later, citing disagreement with federal government's reaction on court ruling on 40% oil revenue sharing promised to Sabah.

Further rupture of ties were seen in first half of 2026, both in government and opposition. On the government side, two Barisan Nasional state chapters in Negeri Sembilan and Johor triggered uncertainties of PH and BN cooperation. 14 state assemblymen of BN in Negeri Sembilan, citing mistrust with Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun's response on the royal affair in the state, retracted their support for state government in April 2026. BN Johor, who never formed a Unity Government pact with PH Johor, decided in May 2026 to continue contesting alone in 2026 Johor state election. As result, these two states faced earlier state election where PH and BN compete against each other. On 17 May 2026, former Minister of Economy Rafizi Ramli took over BERSAMA party and together with his followers announced joint resignation as MP and defection from PKR. On the opposition side, due to strained party-to-party relations, PAS decided to break political cooperation with BERSATU on 8 June 2026. Both parties however confirmed separately they would remain members of PN. Leader of Opposition Hamzah Zainuddin and his faction were either suspended or expelled by their party BERSATU on 13 February 2026 (with some decisions made separately before and after that). While remaining as independent MPs and assemblymen, the group announced formation of WAWASAN party friendly to PAS.

In addition to the major national coalitions, a number of regional parties and coalitions in East Malaysia are expected to be key players due to their potential as kingmakers in the post-election government formation. Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), a Sarawak-based coalition formed by former BN components, presently dominates politics in Sarawak and commands a significant bloc of parliamentary seats. In Sabah, the two largest parties are Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), the ruling state government, and Parti Warisan (WARISAN), the state's main opposition. GRS supports stronger federal-state cooperation and is seen as closer to the unity government, whereas WARISAN takes a more antagonistic stance against the federal government, utilising 'Sabah for Sabahan' rhetoric while simultaneously sitting in the government bench. Within GRS, the election would be the first time its main component party GAGASAN contesting in a federal election after takeover by Chief Minister Hajiji's faction. The performances of these regional parties and their decisions to align with specific national coalitions is seen as key in determining the post-election government formation owing to the country's fragmented party system.

NameIdeologyPositionLeader2022 resultStanding before electionFederal governmentVotes (%)Seats PH Pakatan Harapan Reformism Centre to Centre-left Anwar Ibrahim 37.95% PN Perikatan Nasional National Alliance Right-wing populism Right-wing to far-right Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar 30.04% BN Barisan Nasional National Front National conservatism Centre-right to right-wing Ahmad Zahid Hamidi 22.24% GPS Gabungan Parti SarawakSarawak Parties Alliance Sarawak regionalismConservatism Centre-right to right-wing Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Abang Openg 4.26% GRS Gabungan Rakyat SabahSabah People's Coalition Sabah regionalismConservatism Centre to centre-right Hajiji Noor 1.25% WARISAN Parti WarisanHeritage Party Sabah regionalismProgressivism Centre Shafie Apdal 1.93% BERSAMA Parti Bersama MalaysiaMalaysian United Party Liberal DemocracyThird Way Centre Rafizi Ramli — Social democracySocialismCentre-left to left-wingAmira Aisya Abdul Aziz —

Prospective candidates