# How Malaysian Elections Work: One Seat, One Member, Most Votes Wins

> A descriptive account of the mechanics of Malaysian elections as set out in Part VIII of the Federal Constitution and election law — the single-member constituency system with a plurality vote (first-past-the-post), elections to the Dewan Rakyat and the State Legislative Assemblies, voter eligibility under Article 119, and the role of the Election Commission under Articles 113 and 114.

- Category: government
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-07-24
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/government/how-elections-work

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## At a glance

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Voting system | Single-member constituencies, plurality vote (first-past-the-post) |
| Constitutional basis | Part VIII of the Federal Constitution (Articles 113–120) |
| What is elected | Members of the Dewan Rakyat (federal) and members of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) |
| Voting eligibility | Citizen, aged ≥ 18, resident, registered (Article 119(1)) |
| Administered by | Election Commission (Articles 113, 114) |
| Delimitation cycle | Interval of not less than eight years (Article 113(2)) |
| After dissolution | General election within 60 days (Article 55(4)) |

On polling day, the entire system narrows down to one simple act: a voter
marks a single ballot paper inside a quiet room. Everything around that act —
the electoral roll, the constituency boundaries, the body that counts the
votes — is the constitutional framework that determines who may mark that
paper, where, and how one pencil mark becomes a seat.

This page describes that framework descriptively and according to the
constitutional text: how votes are counted, who is eligible, who administers
elections, and the procedural sequence from dissolution to the result. It
does not refer to any particular party, candidate or outcome.

## One seat, one member, most votes wins

The starting point is not the number of voters, but the shape of the
constituency. Article 116(2) provides that "the number of constituencies
shall be equal to the number of members so that one member is elected for
each constituency." Each constituency returns one representative — no more.

Because each constituency elects only one person, the method of choosing
becomes simple: the candidate who wins the most votes in that constituency
wins. No absolute majority of fifty per cent is required, and there is no
second round. This single-member plurality system is commonly called
*first-past-the-post* (FPTP). The Constitution sets out its structure; the
method of counting the highest number of votes itself is set out in election
law such as Akta Pilihan Raya 1958, which is referred to in the official
notes to Article 113.

Article 117 copies the same form to the state level. For the election of
members of a State Legislative Assembly, the state is divided into "as many
constituencies according to the number of members to be elected so that one
member is elected for each constituency." The federal and state structures
are the same; only the chamber being filled differs.

## Two chambers elected on the same day

Malaysia elects two levels of representative through a similar plurality
vote.

- **Dewan Rakyat.** The lower house of the federal Parliament, with 222
  seats set out in Article 46. Each seat is one federal constituency under
  Article 116.
- **State Legislative Assembly (DUN).** Each state has its own legislative
  assembly, with a number of seats fixed by its own state constitution and
  divided under Article 117.

In most states, the state election is held at the same time as the federal
general election. Article 113(2) reinforces this alignment by requiring
that the boundary review for state constituencies be conducted "at the same
time" as the review for the Dewan Rakyat. A voter in such a state typically
receives two separate ballot papers on the same day: one for Parliament,
one for the DUN.

Some Peninsula states choose to dissolve their DUN at a different time,
producing a state election separate from the general election. This lies
within the jurisdiction of the respective state.

## Who may vote

Article 119(1) sets three conditions that must all be met at once. A
citizen is entitled to vote if he or she:

1. has reached the age of **18** on the qualifying date;
2. is **resident** in a constituency on that date, or is registered as an
   absent voter; and
3. is **registered** on the electoral roll for the constituency in which he
   or she is resident.

The age of 18 is the current position following the constitutional
amendment commonly known as *Undi18* — Akta Perlembagaan (Pindaan) 2019,
which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
The same amendment introduced automatic voter registration, under which
eligible citizens are entered on the electoral roll by the Election
Commission without needing to apply separately.

Article 119(1) also sets one important limit: "no person shall vote in the
same election in more than one constituency" — one person, one vote for
each chamber.

Article 119(3) lists the grounds for disqualification as a voter: being
detained as a person of unsound mind or serving a sentence of imprisonment
on the qualifying date; or having been convicted of an offence and
sentenced to death or to imprisonment exceeding twelve months and still
liable to serve that sentence.

## The Election Commission: the body that runs elections

Elections do not run themselves. Article 113(1) establishes the Election
Commission (Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya, SPR) and gives it two core tasks:
conducting elections to the Dewan Rakyat and the State Legislative
Assemblies, and preparing and reviewing the electoral roll.

Article 114 sets out the body's composition and independence.

| Feature | Provision |
| --- | --- |
| Membership | A chairman, a deputy chairman and **five other members** — seven persons (Article 114(1)) |
| Appointment | By the Yang di-Pertuan Agong **after consulting the Conference of Rulers** (Article 114(1)) |
| Consideration | The Agong shall have regard to the importance of securing an Election Commission that **enjoys public confidence** (Article 114(2)) |
| Retirement age | 66 (Article 114(3)) |
| Removal | Only on the like grounds and in the like manner as a **judge of the Federal Court** (Article 114(3)) |
| Remuneration | Charged to the **Consolidated Fund**; may not be altered to a member's disadvantage after appointment (Article 114(5), (6)) |

This design gives the Election Commission some of the same shields of
independence as the judiciary: an appointment process that involves the
Conference of Rulers, security of tenure through strict removal
conditions, and a salary protected from the Consolidated Fund so that it
does not depend on an annual vote.

## Delimitation: how constituency boundaries are set

Because each constituency returns one member, where the boundary lines are
drawn determines which voters are grouped together. Article 113(2) gives
the Election Commission the task of reviewing the division of the
Federation and the States into constituencies, and recommending changes so
that the provisions of the **Thirteenth Schedule** to the Constitution,
which contains the principles that must be followed, are complied with.

Two time limits govern this cycle:

- **Minimum interval of eight years.** Article 113(2)(ii) sets an interval
  of not less than eight years between the date a review is completed and
  the date the next review begins.
- **Completed within two years.** Article 113(2)(iii) requires each review
  to be completed within a period not exceeding two years from the date it
  begins.

Article 113(6) requires separate reviews for the States of Malaya, for
Sabah, and for Sarawak — each treated as its own distinct "review unit."
The Election Commission's report of recommendations is submitted to the
Prime Minister, and boundary amendments must be approved by the Dewan
Rakyat before taking effect.

## When an election is called

A general election does not occur on a fixed date. It is triggered by a
dissolution. Article 55(3) provides that Parliament runs for five years
from its first sitting and then stands dissolved of itself, unless
dissolved earlier by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong under Article 55(2).

As soon as Parliament is dissolved, the constitutional clock starts.
Article 55(4) sets two limits:

| Event | Time limit after dissolution |
| --- | --- |
| General election held | Within **60 days** |
| Parliament summoned to meet again | Not later than **120 days** |

For an unscheduled vacancy of a seat between general elections, a
by-election may be held under Article 54 — although a proviso to Article 54
exempts a vacancy arising within two years before Parliament is due to be
dissolved, in certain circumstances.

## The course of an election

After a dissolution, the Election Commission sets the same procedural
sequence for every election. The Election Commission's official portal
describes its stages as follows.

1. **Issue of writ.** The Election Commission issues a writ — an
   instrument of authority — to the Returning Officer for each constituency
   to conduct the election, and fixes the date of nomination and the date
   of polling.
2. **Nomination day.** On the fixed date, the Returning Officer receives
   nomination papers from candidates together with a proposer and a
   seconder.
3. **Campaign period.** Once nomination is complete, candidates and their
   representatives may campaign. Campaigning must stop exactly at midnight
   before polling day.
4. **Polling day.** Registered voters mark their ballot papers at the
   polling stations fixed for their constituency.
5. **Counting of votes.** Ballot papers are counted after polling closes.
6. **Declaration of result.** The candidate who wins the most votes in each
   constituency is declared the winner by the Returning Officer.

The exact details — nomination hours, campaign period and candidate
deposit — are governed by Akta Pilihan Raya 1958 and the regulations made
under it, and may change; current figures should be checked against the
Election Commission's official announcements for each election.

## From seats to government

Votes elect members; those members then determine the government. Article
43(2)(a) provides that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall appoint as Prime
Minister a member of the Dewan Rakyat who, in his judgment, is likely to
command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House. The
plurality voting system determines the composition of the Dewan Rakyat;
Article 43 then determines who governs based on that House's confidence.
The detail of this path is described in
[Dewan Rakyat](/en/government/dewan-rakyat) and
[Parliament of Malaysia](/en/government/parliament).

## Common mistakes

**"A candidate must win with a 50 per cent majority."** No. Under the
plurality voting system shaped by Article 116(2), the candidate with the
highest number of votes wins even if this is less than half of the total
votes, and there is no second round.

**"A vote directly elects the Prime Minister."** Voters elect only the
member for their own constituency. Article 43(2)(a) leaves the appointment
of the Prime Minister to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, based on the confidence
of the majority of the Dewan Rakyat.

**"The voting age is 21."** Article 119(1) now sets it at 18, following
the amendment through Akta Perlembagaan (Pindaan) 2019.

**"The Election Commission is part of the ordinary government."** Article
114 gives its members security of tenure like judges, remuneration from
the Consolidated Fund, and an appointment process involving the Conference
of Rulers.

**"Boundaries can be changed at any time."** Article 113(2) sets an
interval of not less than eight years between one delimitation review and
the next.

## What's next

To understand the chamber filled by this election and how seats become
law, read [Dewan Rakyat](/en/government/dewan-rakyat) and
[Parliament of Malaysia](/en/government/parliament). The role of the Yang
di-Pertuan Agong in the dissolution of Parliament and the appointment of
the Election Commission is described in
[Yang di-Pertuan Agong](/en/government/yang-di-pertuan-agong) and
[Conference of Rulers](/en/government/majlis-raja-raja). For the
structural document that sets out all the provisions above, read
[Federal Constitution](/en/law/federal-constitution).

To verify any provision on this page, refer to the text of Part VIII of
the Federal Constitution published by the Election Commission at
[spr.gov.my](https://spr.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/perkara-113-penjalanan-pilihanraya.pdf)
and the full text of the Constitution at
[lom.agc.gov.my](https://lom.agc.gov.my/federal-constitution.php).

## Sources

- Perlembagaan Persekutuan, Bahagian VIII — Perkara 113 (Penjalanan Pilihan Raya) — https://spr.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/perkara-113-penjalanan-pilihanraya.pdf (Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia)
- Perlembagaan Persekutuan, Bahagian VIII — Perkara 114 (Keanggotaan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya) — https://spr.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/perkara-114-keanggotaan-suruhanjaya-pilihan-raya.pdf (Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia)
- Perlembagaan Persekutuan, Bahagian VIII — Perkara 116 (Bahagian Pilihan Raya Persekutuan) — https://spr.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/perkara-116-bahagian-pilihan-raya-persekutuan.pdf (Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia)
- Perlembagaan Persekutuan, Bahagian VIII — Perkara 117 (Bahagian Pilihan Raya Negeri) — https://spr.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/perkara-117-bahagian-pilihan-raya-negeri.pdf (Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia)
- Perlembagaan Persekutuan, Bahagian VIII — Perkara 119 (Kelayakan Pemilih) — https://spr.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Perkara-119_Kelayakan-Pemilih.pdf (Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia)
- Penjalanan Pilihan Raya Umum — https://spr.gov.my/perjalanan-pilihan-raya-umum/ (Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia)
- Perlembagaan Persekutuan (Cetakan Semula 2020) — https://bhess.jpm.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Perlembagaan-Persekutuan-Cetakan-Semula-2020-1.pdf (Jabatan Perdana Menteri)
- Federal Constitution — Laws of Malaysia — https://lom.agc.gov.my/federal-constitution.php (Jabatan Peguam Negara Malaysia)

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