FORMER prime ministers who have already served a total of 10 years will be ineligible for reappointment if the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill limiting the tenure of the office is passed by the Dewan Rakyat and enacted, Parliament was told today.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Azalina Othman Said, explained that the Bill sets a limit on the total years of service for any prime minister, rather than basing it on parliamentary terms.
“Whoever wishes to be Prime Minister (in the future) cannot serve more than 10 years. So what we have included in this constitutional amendment also takes into account the years they have already served as Prime Minister.
“This also means it is calculated retrospectively. So, the current Prime Minister, say PMX (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim), if he wins the 16th General Election and wishes to serve again, he may do so.
“But if we calculate by years, he only has seven years remaining, not another full 10 years. Perhaps Tan Sri Muhyiddin (Yasin), if he becomes Prime Minister again because he wins, may have eight years remaining. Then Bera (Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob) may have nine years left,” she said.
Azalina made the remarks after a briefing in the Parliament Banquet Hall on the Constitutional Amendment Bills regarding both the separation of the roles of Attorney General and Public Prosecutor and the limitation of the Prime Minister’s tenure. MPs from both the government and opposition attended the session.
She emphasised that the amendments fulfil manifesto commitments from the previous general election, while noting that any future government with a two-thirds parliamentary majority could revise the rules.
“The Constitution can be amended. A subsequent government with a two-thirds majority can amend the law. In fact, the term of office can also be changed again if they wish the current Prime Minister to remain indefinitely.
“If you have two-thirds or more support in Parliament, you can do anything to the Constitution. What we are doing, together with coalition partners, is delivering to the people what we promised in the 15th General Election manifesto.
“In the manifesto, some parties proposed two terms, some proposed ten years. Essentially, the government is implementing what has already been promised. But a future government with a new majority can still change it. That is entirely their prerogative,” she said.
Azalina also clarified that the proposed amendment applies only to the office of the Prime Minister and does not affect the positions of chief ministers or state menteris besar, which remain under state jurisdiction.
Earlier in the day, she tabled two Constitutional Amendment Bills in the Dewan Rakyat: the Constitution (Amendment) (No. 1) Bill 2026 and the Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2026, covering the separation of the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor roles and the limitation of the Prime Minister’s term. - February 23, 2026
