BILL TO LIMIT PM'S TENURE TO BE RETABLED IN JUNE - FAHMI

PUTRAJAYA, March 4 (Bernama) -- The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026, which seeks to limit the Prime Minister's tenure to 10 years, will be retabled at the next Dewan Rakyat sitting in June.

MADANI Government spokesman Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the matter was agreed upon during today's Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He expressed hope that the non-partisan amendment, designed to strengthen democracy, would secure cross-party support and pass when tabled.

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"All members of Parliament should understand that this effort is to ensure there will no longer be a situation where a Prime Minister feels that he can do as he pleases simply because he can remain in power indefinitely," he said at a post-Cabinet press conference here today.

The Bill failed to secure the required two-thirds majority on Monday by a mere two votes, with only 146 MPs in favour. Thirty-two MPs were absent, while 44 abstained.

Any approval of a Federal Constitution amendment Bill requires at least 148 parliamentary votes.

The results of the bloc vote were announced by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Dr Johari Abdul, following debates by 41 government and opposition MPs.

Elaborating further, Fahmi said the Cabinet was today briefed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who is the government chief whip, on the status of eight government-supporting MPs who were absent during the voting session. 

He added that the Cabinet was also informed of a misunderstanding among opposition MPs, who reportedly believed the Bill was intended to mandate a 10-year tenure for Anwar as Prime Minister.

"Some of them had conveyed to one of the ministers that they thought they were voting to give Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim a 10-year term as Prime Minister.

"This was shared with the Cabinet, and we are unsure how the opposition could have misunderstood the matter," he said.

-- BERNAMA