Government

Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy. The federal head of state is the King of Malaysia. The King is elected to a five-year term among the nine hereditary Sultans of the Malay states.



System of Government
System of government in Malaysia closely follows Westminster parliamentary system. British colonial rule has been instrumental in the development of this system in Malaysia. However, the executive branch of the government is more powerful than the legislature, and the power of judiciary has declined over the years.

Central Legislature & Cabinet
Legislative power in Malaysia is segregated between federal and state legislatures. The bicameral parliament is comprised of the lower house, the House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyatand the upper house, the Senate or Dewan Negara. Members of House of Representatives are elected from constituencies that are drawn based on population for a maximum term of five years. The senators sit for three year terms. 26 members are elected by the 13 state assemblies, two represent the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur, one member each comes from federal territories of Labuan and Putrajaya, while 40 are appointed by the king. Parliamentary elections are held at least once every five years. The cabinet is picked from among the members of Parliament and is answerable to it.

State Governments
Chief Ministers are the head of administration in the states. The Chief Minister is a state assembly member from the majority party in the state legislature.

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