01
31 Aug 1957–22 Sep 1970STATUS
1st PM · Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj
Tunku becomes the first prime minister at independence and leads the federation through the formation of Malaysia in 1963 before stepping down in 1970.
← ChronologyUpdated 5 Oct 2026
CHRONOLOGY · POLITICS · PRIME MINISTERS
Malaysia's prime ministers: nine people, ten premierships from 1957 to today
A compact chronology of every Malaysian prime minister from Tunku Abdul Rahman to Anwar Ibrahim, including Mahathir Mohamad's two non-consecutive premierships and the rapid leadership changes between 2018 and 2022.
Year by year10 events1957-08-31 → 2026-10-05
ANIMATED CHRONOLOGY SUMMARYWatch the sequence before reading the full story.
1957-08-31→2026-10-05
STORY AT A GLANCE
Watch the sequence before reading the full story.
A compact chronology of every Malaysian prime minister from Tunku Abdul Rahman to Anwar Ibrahim, including Mahathir Mohamad's two non-consecutive premierships and the rapid leadership changes between 2018 and 2022.
10 EVENTS21 SOURCE LINKS
EVENT 1 OF 1031 Aug 1957–22 Sep 19701st PM · Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj
Tunku becomes the first prime minister at independence and leads the federation through the formation of Malaysia in 1963 before stepping down in 1970.
WHERE THE LINE STANDS NOWAs of 5 October 2026, Anwar Ibrahim remains Malaysia's 10th prime minister.
Continue to full chronology ↓The official Cabinet Division list records Anwar's tenure as beginning on 24 November 2022 and continuing to the present. Malaysia has therefore had ten numbered premierships since Merdeka, held by nine different people.
FULL TIMELINE · SCROLL / CLICK / DRAG TO EXPLORE
Each step is dated and sourced. Statements, allegations, decisions and confirmed actions stay labelled separately so the timeline does not turn one side's claim into an established fact.
HOW WE GOT HERE
Follow the sequence, not just the headline.
02
22 Sep 1970–14 Jan 1976STATUS
2nd PM · Tun Abdul Razak Hussein
Razak succeeds Tunku after the post-1969 emergency period and leads the early implementation of the New Economic Policy and a new national-development framework.
03
15 Jan 1976–16 Jul 1981STATUS
3rd PM · Tun Hussein Onn
Hussein takes office after Razak's death and becomes closely associated with national unity and institutional continuity.
04
16 Jul 1981–30 Oct 2003STATUS
4th PM · Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
Mahathir begins what becomes Malaysia's longest continuous premiership, an era associated with industrialisation, major infrastructure projects, Vision 2020 and the 1997–98 Asian Financial Crisis.
05
31 Oct 2003–3 Apr 2009STATUS
5th PM · Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Abdullah succeeds Mahathir after an orderly handover and leads Barisan Nasional through the 2004 and 2008 general elections.
06
3 Apr 2009–9 May 2018STATUS
6th PM · Dato' Sri Najib Razak
Najib succeeds Abdullah in 2009. His premiership ends after GE14, when Barisan Nasional loses federal power for the first time since independence.
07
10 May 2018–24 Feb 2020DECISION
7th PM · Mahathir returns, becoming the first person to hold the office twice.
After Pakatan Harapan wins GE14, Mahathir returns to the premiership at age 92. It is Malaysia's first federal transfer of power between rival coalitions.
08
1 Mar 2020–20 Aug 2021DECISION
8th PM · Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
Muhyiddin is appointed after the Pakatan Harapan government collapses and the King determines that he is likely to command majority support in the Dewan Rakyat.
09
21 Aug 2021–23 Nov 2022DECISION
9th PM · Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob
Ismail Sabri takes office after Muhyiddin resigns, becoming Malaysia's third prime minister in just over three years.
10
24 Nov 2022–presentDECISION
10th PM · Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar is appointed after GE15 produces Malaysia's first hung Parliament at a general election. His government is formed with support from multiple coalitions and parties.
SOURCESCabinet, Constitution and Inter-Governmental Relations Division, Prime Minister's DepartmentOfficial list and exact tenure dates of Malaysia's prime ministersPrime Minister's OfficeAnwar Ibrahim sworn in as Malaysia's 10th Prime MinisterParliament of Malaysia2023 Royal Address recounting the 2020, 2021 and 2022 prime-ministerial appointments
WHY 10 PRIME MINISTERS BUT ONLY 9 PEOPLE?
Malaysia numbers premierships by term of office, not by unique individual.
Mahathir is both the 4th and 7th prime minister.
He served continuously from 1981 to 2003, left office for nearly 15 years, then returned after the 2018 election. That creates ten numbered premierships across nine people.
2018 ended six decades of uninterrupted Alliance/Barisan Nasional-led federal rule.
The transition from Najib to Mahathir followed Pakatan Harapan's GE14 victory and marked the first change of federal governing coalition since independence.
2020–2022 tested the constitutional process for choosing a prime minister without a clear election-night majority.
Muhyiddin, Ismail Sabri and Anwar were each appointed after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong assessed who was likely to command majority confidence in the Dewan Rakyat.
WHERE THE LINE STANDS NOW
As of 5 October 2026, Anwar Ibrahim remains Malaysia's 10th prime minister.
The official Cabinet Division list records Anwar's tenure as beginning on 24 November 2022 and continuing to the present. Malaysia has therefore had ten numbered premierships since Merdeka, held by nine different people.
Questions the chronology cannot answer yet.
01Will the post-2018 pattern of coalition competition become Malaysia's long-term political norm?
02How will future historians divide Malaysia's prime-ministerial eras: by leader, coalition, economic model or constitutional turning point?
03Will another future prime minister, like Mahathir, ever return for a non-consecutive term?
The events that would move this story forward.
01The next general election and any resulting change in prime minister.
02Future constitutional or parliamentary reforms affecting government formation.
03Official archival releases on leadership transitions, especially 2018–2022.
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