The 2020–2022 Malaysian political crisis was triggered after several Members of Parliament (MPs) of the 14th Malaysian Parliament changed party support, leading to the loss of a parliamentary majority, the collapse of two successive coalition governments and the resignation of two Prime Ministers. The political crisis culminated in a 2022 snap general election and the eventual formation of a coalition government. The crisis ended in 2022 at the federal level but continued until 2023 in the state of Sabah in what became known as the Kinabalu Move.
In February 2020, a development commonly referred to as the Sheraton Move, saw the fall of the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition government and the resignation of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad after 22 months in office. They were replaced by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition government, led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Political instability persisted after these changes throughout 2020 and into 2021, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This culminated in the resignation of Muhyiddin and his cabinet in August 2021, after 17 months in power. A few days later, Ismail Sabri Yaakob was appointed as the ninth prime minister to replace Muhyiddin. The crisis triggered several early state elections and a 2022 snap general election.
The crisis began with divisions within the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition. Some sources indicate that this developed in part due to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's efforts to manage the transition of power to his designated successor, Anwar Ibrahim, as had been agreed upon before the 2018 general election. Several MPs began discussions about forming a new government by claiming majority support in the Dewan Rakyat, the lower chamber of the bicameral Parliament of Malaysia, without a general election.
This was achieved through the withdrawal of the Parti Pribumi BERSATU Malaysia (BERSATU) from the Pakatan Harapan coalition and the support of several MPs from the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), led by its deputy president Azmin Ali, who left the party. Prime Minister Mahathir then resigned, creating a power vacuum.
Malaysia's monarch, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Abdullah of Pahang, met with all MPs and political party leaders to assess their support for a new prime minister. He ultimately appointed the president of BERSATU, Muhyiddin Yassin, as the eighth prime minister. Muhyiddin then declared his coalition government as Perikatan Nasional.
Four states — Johor, Malacca, Perak and Kedah — also experienced changes in their respective state governments as Perikatan Nasional gained majorities in the separate state legislative assemblies. The Sabah State Legislative Assembly was dissolved, triggering the 2020 Sabah state election. Perikatan Nasional won the election and formed the state government with Barisan Nasional and United Sabah Party under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition.
Political instability continued after the government change. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim announced in September 2020 that he had obtained majority support to form a new government, though this did not materialise. Malaysia declared a State of Emergency in January 2021 amid the worsening COVID-19 pandemic, which contributed to further instability within the Perikatan Nasional coalition in mid-2021. After a lengthy suspension, parliament temporarily reconvened but debates over the emergency measures were blocked and the session was suspended again when COVID-19 cases were detected in the building. Opposition MPs attempted to enter parliament on 2 August 2021 after the State of Emergency was lifted, but were prevented from doing so by police. After losing majority support and unsuccessful attempts to regain it, Prime Minister Muhyiddin and his cabinet resigned on 16 August 2021.
Four days later, UMNO's Vice President Ismail Sabri Yaakob was appointed prime minister by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after receiving support from the most MPs. Ismail Sabri's government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Pakatan Harapan in an attempt to ensure greater political stability. In 2021 and 2022, instability in state legislative assemblies triggered further elections in Malacca and Johor. The crisis culminated in an early general election in 2022, which resulted in a hung parliament; Anwar Ibrahim was subsequently appointed as prime minister to lead a coalition government.
The 2020–2022 Malaysian political crisis was triggered after several Members of Parliament (MPs) of the 14th Malaysian Parliament changed party support, leading to the loss of a parliamentary majority, the collapse of two successive coalition governments and the resignation of two Prime Ministers. The political crisis culminated in a 2022 snap general election and the eventual formation of a coalition government. The crisis ended in 2022 at the federal level but continued until 2023 in the state of Sabah in what became known as the Kinabalu Move.
In February 2020, a development commonly referred to as the Sheraton Move, saw the fall of the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition government and the resignation of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad after 22 months in office. They were replaced by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition government, led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Political instability persisted after these changes throughout 2020 and into 2021, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This culminated in the resignation of Muhyiddin and his cabinet in August 2021, after 17 months in power. A few days later, Ismail Sabri Yaakob was appointed as the ninth prime minister to replace Muhyiddin. The crisis triggered several early state elections and a 2022 snap general election.
The crisis began with divisions within the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition. Some sources indicate that this developed in part due to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's efforts to manage the transition of power to his designated successor, Anwar Ibrahim, as had been agreed upon before the 2018 general election. Several MPs began discussions about forming a new government by claiming majority support in the Dewan Rakyat, the lower chamber of the bicameral Parliament of Malaysia, without a general election.
This was achieved through the withdrawal of the Parti Pribumi BERSATU Malaysia (BERSATU) from the Pakatan Harapan coalition and the support of several MPs from the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), led by its deputy president Azmin Ali, who left the party. Prime Minister Mahathir then resigned, creating a power vacuum.
Malaysia's monarch, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Abdullah of Pahang, met with all MPs and political party leaders to assess their support for a new prime minister. He ultimately appointed the president of BERSATU, Muhyiddin Yassin, as the eighth prime minister. Muhyiddin then declared his coalition government as Perikatan Nasional.
Four states — Johor, Malacca, Perak and Kedah — also experienced changes in their respective state governments as Perikatan Nasional gained majorities in the separate state legislative assemblies. The Sabah State Legislative Assembly was dissolved, triggering the 2020 Sabah state election. Perikatan Nasional won the election and formed the state government with Barisan Nasional and United Sabah Party under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition.
Political instability continued after the government change. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim announced in September 2020 that he had obtained majority support to form a new government, though this did not materialise. Malaysia declared a State of Emergency in January 2021 amid the worsening COVID-19 pandemic, which contributed to further instability within the Perikatan Nasional coalition in mid-2021. After a lengthy suspension, parliament temporarily reconvened but debates over the emergency measures were blocked and the session was suspended again when COVID-19 cases were detected in the building. Opposition MPs attempted to enter parliament on 2 August 2021 after the State of Emergency was lifted, but were prevented from doing so by police. After losing majority support and unsuccessful attempts to regain it, Prime Minister Muhyiddin and his cabinet resigned on 16 August 2021.
Four days later, UMNO's Vice President Ismail Sabri Yaakob was appointed prime minister by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after receiving support from the most MPs. Ismail Sabri's government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Pakatan Harapan in an attempt to ensure greater political stability. In 2021 and 2022, instability in state legislative assemblies triggered further elections in Malacca and Johor. The crisis culminated in an early general election in 2022, which resulted in a hung parliament; Anwar Ibrahim was subsequently appointed as prime minister to lead a coalition government.
In the 2018 election, Mahathir reconciled with his former political rival Anwar Ibrahim, leader of PKR. Anwar had served as Mahathir's deputy prime minister from 1993 to 1998 before he was dismissed and imprisoned under corruption charges. Anwar was later imprisoned again in 2014 under sodomy charges but was granted a royal pardon in 2018 by the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Muhammad V of Kelantan. Mahathir had promised to transfer the position of prime minister to Anwar after two years, but the handover did not occur as initially planned.
Azmin Ali, the deputy president of PKR, had previously served as Anwar's private secretary from 1993 to 1998. He joined PKR after leaving Mahathir's UMNO in the late 1990s. Azmin was appointed by the Sultan of Selangor, Sharafuddin of Selangor, as Menteri Besar of Selangor, following a political manoeuvre known as the Kajang Move in 2014. After the 2018 general election, he joined Mahathir's cabinet as the Minister of Economic Affairs. Tensions arose between Azmin and Anwar, which came to the fore during PKR's national congress in December 2019, where remarks about "treachery" were made, which were perceived by some as being aimed at Azmin.
Muhyiddin Yassin is the president and a founding member of BERSATU. He was previously the deputy president of UMNO and served as the deputy prime minister from 2009 until 2015 under Najib Razak. He was dismissed from his position after criticising Najib over the 1MDB scandal and was later expelled from UMNO in 2016. After the 2018 election, Muhyiddin was appointed as the Minister of Home Affairs.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is the president of UMNO, having assumed the position in 2018. He served as the Deputy Prime Minister from 2015 to 2018 under Najib Razak, following the expulsion of Muhyiddin from UMNO.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Malaysia's constitutional monarch, holds the prerogative to appoint the prime minister based on parliamentary support, under Article 43 of the Malaysian Constitution. The position of Yang di-Pertuan Agong rotates every five years among the nine Malay rulers. The then Yang di-Pertuan Agong was Abdullah of Pahang, who ascended the throne in 2019.
February: Sheraton Move, fall of Pakatan Harapan government
21-22 February
The presidential council of Pakatan Harapan held a late-night meeting to discuss the leadership transition from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to Anwar Ibrahim, who had been referred to as the "Prime Minister-in-waiting" following Pakatan Harapan's 2018 election victory. During the meeting, Anwar reportedly agreed to allow Mahathir to determine the timing of his resignation, with a potential transition after the APEC Malaysia 2020 summit scheduled for November. Multiple sources indicated that the meeting included discussions that were described as tense, particularly surrounding the timeline of Mahathir's departure.
In May, an audio recording of the meeting was leaked, in which BERSATU Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali reportedly expressed concerns that Mahathir might be perceived as a "lame-duck prime minister" if a fixed timeline was established. Some members of PKR expressed support for Anwar to assume the role of prime minister within the originally discussed timeframe of two years following the coalition's electoral win on 9 May 2018.
According to a Reuters report, Mahathir had considered forming a unity government involving various political parties, including accepting former members of UMNO into BERSATU and engaging with opposition parties such as PAS. This move was interpreted by some as an effort to expand political support and provide flexibility regarding the leadership transition. Reports suggest that the growing calls for a definitive timeline led to accelerated political developments, culminating in key events on 23 February.
Azmin Ali, the deputy president of PKR and the Minister of Economic Affairs, also held a meeting with several lawmakers from the party and twenty others at Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya, amidst rumours that the formation of a new governing coalition was being undertaken. The event was widely reported on local media as Langkah Sheraton or the Sheraton Move.
Azmin and his faction in PKR went to the Istana Negara in the evening to seek an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Leaders from five other political parties; BERSATU's Muhyiddin Yassin, also the Minister of Home Affairs, UMNO's Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, PAS's Hadi Awang, GPS's Abang Johari Openg and Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan)'s Shafie Apdal were also in attendance. It was speculated that the leaders were there to brief the Agong about the recent political development; the formation of a new coalition government and to declare their support for a new prime minister, effectively blocking PKR's president Anwar Ibrahim from the position. After the meeting, several opposition party leaders, including UMNO's Ismail Sabri Yaakob and PAS's Hadi Awang, joined Azmin's supporters at Sheraton Hotel.
In a Facebook Live broadcast of a night prayer session at Anwar's residence, Anwar said that someone had informed him that a "treachery" was committed involving "former friends from BERSATU and a small group from PKR". Later, Azmin, in a statement, claimed that his action was to protect Mahathir, who was forced to choose a date for the transition of power during Pakatan Harapan presidential meeting on 21 February. The statutory declaration (SD) presented to the Agong was to cement support for Mahathir, not to elect a new prime minister. He further said that the real traitor was the faction that tried to usurp Mahathir.
24 February
In the morning of 24 February 2020, Anwar Ibrahim; the deputy prime minister, Wan Azizah Ismail, also Anwar's wife; the president of Amanah, Mat Sabu; and the secretary general of DAP, Lim Guan Eng, met Mahathir at his residence to seek clarification regarding the incident. Anwar later stated that he was satisfied with the meeting outcome, as Mahathir had clarified that he had nothing to do with the pact to make a new coalition government.
PKR held a press conference at 2 pm where its general secretary, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, announced that Azmin and the Minister of Housing and Local Government, Zuraida Kamaruddin, also the vice president of PKR, had been dismissed by the party. Saifuddin explained that they were expelled due to their actions on 23 February which was against the party's principle regarding the position of prime minister. Azmin later announced that he would be forming an independent bloc at the parliament along with Zuraida and other nine MPs. They had decided to exit the party following his expulsion.
In the afternoon of 24 February, the prime minister's office confirmed that Mahathir had submitted his resignation to the Agong. Half an hour later, he also announced his resignation from his position as chairman of BERSATU after Muhyiddin declared the party's withdrawal from Pakatan Harapan coalition. The Agong tried to convince Mahathir against resigning, but the latter insisted. The Agong then accepted his resignation and appointed him as the interim prime minister until a new prime minister is chosen. The Cabinet of Malaysia was dissolved, per Article 43(5) of the Constitution of Malaysia. Pakatan Harapan lost its majority in the parliament after BERSATU and Azmin Ali-led faction of eleven MPs withdrew from the coalition at 2 pm. A representative of the palace then announced that the Agong would interview all 221 MPs, excluding Mahathir, to weigh their support for prime minister candidates. The interview sessions were held on 25 and 26 February, with 90 MPs on the former and 131 MPs on the latter.
At 9 pm, BERSATU leaders held an emergency meeting at its headquarters to discuss the party's future direction. Members of BERSATU rejected Mahathir's resignation as the party's chairman and pledged their support for him to be the prime minister. The party's secretary-general Marzuki Yahya said that the BERSATU's supreme council members were unanimous in their support for Mahathir.
25 February
On 25 February, Agong summoned 90 MPs to have an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Starting from 2:30 pm, the Agong spent two to three minutes interviewing each MPs. Following the first round of interviews, UMNO and PAS revealed that they have withdrawn their earlier support for Mahathir to remain as prime minister, and had instead called for parliament dissolution. It was previously reported that as all political factions voiced their support for Mahathir, he was about to establish a "unity government" that the two parties did not agree with. Annuar Musa, UMNO's secretary-general, said the basis of negotiations with Mahathir was that UMNO and PAS would lend their support to form an alternative coalition without DAP. Therefore, both PAS and UMNO declared their support for a snap election instead. Takiyuddin Hassan confirmed the would-be coalition would have been called Perikatan Nasional.
An emergency Pakatan Harapan presidential council meeting was held at PKR's headquarters in Petaling Jaya at night. Pakatan Harapan parties; DAP, PKR and Amanah invited Mahathir to the meeting in order to restore the previous government but Mahathir did not attend the joint meeting.
Later on 3 February 2021, Mahathir claimed that when the Pakatan Harapan MPs made their statutory declaration in front of the Agong, they did not name him as their candidate. Anwar had convinced PH MPs that he had sufficient support from Sabah and Sarawak MPs and PH MPs to have a majority to become prime minister. Mahathir said that "only DAP, Amanah, and his faction of his PKR" supported Anwar. Anwar had 92 supporters while Mahathir had 62. "When Muhyiddin was named Prime Minister he did not have majority support. But upon his appointment he was able to offer places in his cabinet to the members who supported me. They crossed over and Muhyiddin achieved a majority of two", Mahathir wrote on his blog.