Government and power in Malaysia

Who leads Malaysia, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Federal constitutional monarchy.

Who leads Malaysia?

• Head of state: Sultan Ibrahim (King of Malaysia)
• Head of government: Anwar Ibrahim (Prime Minister of Malaysia)
• Foreign minister: Mohamad Haji Hasan (Minister for Foreign Affairs of Malaysia)

Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Governance scores

The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.

Voice and accountability

Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.

Political stability and absence of violence

Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.

Government effectiveness

Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.

Regulatory quality

Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.

Rule of law

Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.

Control of corruption

Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.

Official bodies that hold power in Malaysia

Government

• Malaysian Government Official Portal (MyGOV)
  Directories of ministries and agencies and online government services.

Elections

• Election Commission of Malaysia
  Electoral rolls, election results, constituency boundaries and election schedules.

Courts

• Office of the Chief Registrar, Federal Court of Malaysia
  Information on the Federal Court, Court of Appeal and High Courts, cause lists and written judgments.

Public audit

• National Audit Department
  Auditor General's reports on federal and state government accounts and activities.

Public contracts

• ePerolehan
  The federal government e-procurement system, with tender and quotation notices and supplier registration.

Laws and the official gazette

• Laws of Malaysia (Attorney General's Chambers)
  Federal acts, revised laws, subsidiary legislation and the Federal Gazette.

Government below the national level

• States (13) and federal territories (3: Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Labuan): State assemblies elected; chief minister (menteri besar) from the majority. Federal territories run by a federal ministry with no elected assembly
• Local authorities (about 155: city, municipal and district councils): Mayor or president and councillors appointed by the state government (federal ministry for the territories); no local elections
• Administrative districts (daerah) and mukims: District officers and penghulu (mukim heads) are state civil servants
• Villages (kampung): Ketua kampung and village committee (JKKK/JPKK) appointed by the state government

How local power works in Malaysia

Places in Malaysia

• All 16 states
• The 85 largest cities
• Official statistics for Malaysia

Sources

• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.