2022 Malaysian general election

General elections were held in Malaysia on Saturday, 19 November 2022. The prospect of snap elections had been considered high due to the political crisis that had been ongoing since 2020; political instability caused by coalition or party switching among members of Parliament, combined with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, contributed to the resignation of two prime ministers and the collapse of each of their respective coalition governments since the 2018 general elections.

The term of the 14th Parliament was due to expire on 16 July 2023, five years after its first meeting on 16 July 2018. However, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia), Abdullah of Pahang, dissolved parliament at the request of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on 10 October 2022. Constitutionally, the elections were required to be held within 60 days of the dissolution, making 9 December the last possible polling day.

Historically, general elections for all state legislative assemblies of Malaysia except Sarawak had been held concurrently as a cost-saving measure. However, the states could dissolve their own legislatures independently from Parliament, and several states (Sabah, Malacca and Johor) had held early elections due to the political instability, disrupting their usual electoral cycle. The governments of these states and Sarawak indicated that they would not be holding state elections concurrently. The governments of several other states, primarily those under a Pakatan Harapan or Perikatan Nasional government, stated that they would prefer to complete a full term. By 19 October, all Pakatan-led states, Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, as well as Perikatan-led states, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, already confirmed not to be dissolving their state legislatures.

The elections were the first in which 18–20-year-olds were eligible to vote, following a constitutional amendment reducing the voting age from 21 to 18. Additionally, all voters were automatically registered, so the electorate expanded by around six million people or 31%.

Results for 220 out of all 222 contested seats in the Dewan Rakyat were announced by the morning of 20 November 2022, although polling in the constituency of Padang Serai was postponed until 7 December due to the death of the Pakatan Harapan candidate, Karuppaiya Muthusamy, three days before the elections. Voting in Baram was suspended on polling day due to flooding and inclement weather preventing polling workers from reaching the polling stations, and was instead completed on 21 November.

The elections resulted in a hung parliament, the first federal election to have had such a result in the nation's history. Pakatan Harapan remained the coalition with the most seats in the Dewan Rakyat albeit with a reduced share, with its largest losses in Kedah. Perikatan Nasional swept the northwestern and east coastal states of Peninsular Malaysia in a landslide, winning every seat in the states of Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu, and all but one in Kedah; dubbed by many people as the "Green Wave" (Malay: "Gelombang Hijau"). The historically dominant Barisan Nasional fell to third place, having lost most of its seats to Perikatan Nasional. A number of well-known incumbent MPs also lost their seats, including former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in Langkawi (who also lost his deposit), former Finance Minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah by a razor thin margin in Gua Musang (results unconfirmed due to petition ongoing) , Trade Minister and former Selangor's Menteri Besar (the state's head of government) Azmin Ali in Gombak, former Housing Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin in Ampang, former Domestic Trade Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail in Kulim-Bandar Baharu, as well as the children of Anwar Ibrahim and Mahathir Mohamad respectively, Nurul Izzah Anwar and Mukhriz Mahathir. Both former Ministers of Federal Territories, from BN and PH, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and Khalid Abdul Samad were defeated, in Putrajaya and Titiwangsa respectively. Incumbent Finance Minister and Senator Tengku Zafrul Aziz failed to win a seat in the Dewan Rakyat for Kuala Selangor by a slim majority, as well as the son-in-law of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who is also the Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin also failed to defeat the Pakatan Harapan candidate by a slim majority too in Sungai Buloh.

After obtaining support from Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, the Heritage Party, Malaysian United Democratic Alliance, Parti Bangsa Malaysia and independent MPs, Pakatan Harapan chairman Anwar Ibrahim was appointed and sworn in as Prime Minister on 24 November 2022 by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Gabungan Rakyat Sabah also expressed support for Anwar, while Perikatan Nasional opted to become the official opposition.