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 thus his first election for him since appointed in 2021. 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 prominent incumbent Members of Parliament lost their seats, including former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in Langkawi, where he also forfeited his deposit. Former Finance Minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah was defeated by a narrow margin in Gua Musang, while Trade Minister and former Menteri Besar of Selangor, Azmin Ali, lost in Gombak. Former Housing Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin was defeated in Ampang, and former Domestic Trade Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail lost in Kulim-Bandar Baharu. Also defeated were Nurul Izzah Anwar and Mukhriz Mahathir, the children of Anwar Ibrahim and Mahathir Mohamad, respectively. Former Ministers of the Federal Territories from Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan, 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 secure a seat in the Dewan Rakyat for Kuala Selangor, losing by a narrow margin. Similarly, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, the son-in-law of former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was defeated by a slim majority in Sungai Buloh.
After securing support from Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, the Heritage Party, Malaysian United Democratic Alliance, Parti Bangsa Malaysia and several 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 its support for Anwar, while Perikatan Nasional opted to assume the role of the official opposition.
The 2018 federal election resulted in a change in government for the first time in Malaysian history since direct elections were first held in 1955. Pakatan Harapan, then a centre-left coalition between four parties, won 113 seats in the Dewan Rakyat (a two-seat majority) against the right-wing Barisan Nasional coalition, which won 79 seats. Pakatan Harapan entered government at the federal level with support from the Sabah Heritage Party. The concurrent state elections also saw Pakatan Harapan winning a majority for the first time in Johor, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan. Hung parliaments were recorded in Kedah, Perak and Sabah, but changes in party membership of the legislators after the election allowed Pakatan Harapan (or the Sabah Heritage Party in Sabah) to enter government in these states as well.
In July 2019, the Constitution (Amendment) Act 2019, which contained provisions to lower the voting age to 18 and allow for the automatic registration of voters, was enacted by Parliament. The Election Commission announced in June 2020 that preparations for these changes would be ready by July 2021. The 2022 election marked the first in which the 18–20 age group is entitled to vote.
Since losing re-election in 2018, former prime minister Najib Razak was put on trial, convicted and imprisoned in relation to the 1MDB scandal. The scandal severely impacted UMNO in the previous election and has a continuing legacy in Malaysian politics. Trials and investigations remain ongoing.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia emerged as a major health crisis from early 2020. It had significant impacts on Malaysia's economy and society.
A political crisis began in Malaysia in early 2020, leading to the resignation of two prime ministers and significant shifts in parliament over the subsequent two years. In late February 2020, a majority of the 32 members of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party withdrew from the governing Pakatan Harapan-led coalition, causing it to lose its majority in the Dewan Rakyat, and partnered with Barisan Nasional. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad then resigned, creating a power vacuum in the executive branch. This movement later became known as Sheraton Move. On 1 March, Muhyiddin Yassin was appointed prime minister, and a Malaysian United Indigenous Party-led minority government was formed under new coalition Perikatan Nasional, with confidence and supply from Barisan Nasional. Political instability continued after this, exacerbated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis escalated in mid-2021, leading to Muhyiddin losing parliamentary support over the COVID-19 response and resigning. On 20 August 2021, Ismail Sabri Yaakob was appointed prime minister as his replacement.
This political instability led to calls for a snap general election from various lawmakers, and there was speculation that one would be held since 2020. In June 2022, Ismail Sabri said he would not delay the dissolution of parliament, amid continued pressure from his party UMNO to hold a general election as soon as possible. He said he would consult with his allies in the Barisan Nasional alliance on the date, as well as leaders of his party UMNO. Ismail Sabri announced the dissolution on 10 October 2022.