A constitutional amendment bill to cap the prime minister’s total tenure at 10 years has been tabled for its first reading in parliament

KUALA LUMPUR: A bill to constitutionally limit the prime minister’s tenure to a maximum of 10 years was tabled for its first reading in the Dewan Rakyat.

The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 seeks to amend Article 43 of the Federal Constitution by introducing a new Clause (2A).

This clause stipulates that a person appointed as prime minister shall not hold the office for periods amounting to more than ten years in aggregate.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the second reading is expected next week.

The bill also proposes new Clauses (4A) to (4D) under Article 43 to govern the transition.

Clause (4A) states the prime minister shall cease to hold office upon reaching the aggregate 10-year limit.

“For Clause (4B), if the Prime Minister ceases to hold office pursuant to Clause (4A), the members of the Cabinet shall cease to hold office,” the bill states.

Clause 4C allows for continuity by permitting the outgoing prime minister and cabinet to perform limited functions.

These functions are restricted to ensuring the day-to-day running of the government until a new prime minister is appointed.

The new Clause (4D) states that any period served as prime minister before this provision comes into operation shall be counted.

However, any period performing the prime minister’s functions following a dissolution of Parliament will not be included.

Consequential amendments are also made to Clause (5) of Article 43 following the insertion of the new clauses.

 The Sun Malaysia