KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 — The government today tabled a new constitutional amendment Bill in Parliament aimed at limiting the tenure of the prime minister.

If passed, the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 will introduce a maximum term for the country’s top office for the first time in history.

Here’s a breakdown of what the proposed changes mean:

What is the new limit?

The Bill proposes that a person may hold the office of prime minister for a cumulative total of no more than ten years.

This limit applies whether the years are served “continuously or otherwise,” meaning a person cannot serve for nine years, take a break, and then return for another full term.

What happens when the 10-year limit is reached?

The moment a sitting prime minister reaches the ten-year mark, they will automatically “cease to hold the office.”

The Bill makes it clear that when the prime minister’s tenure ends this way, the entire Cabinet will also cease to hold office simultaneously.

However, to ensure there is no gap in governance, the outgoing prime minister and Cabinet will continue to function as a caretaker government until a new prime minister is appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Does it apply to past prime ministers?

Yes. The Bill is designed to be retrospective. This means that “any period during which the person held the office of prime minister before the coming into operation of this provision shall be taken into account.”

For example, if a former prime minister who had already served for several years were to return to the post, their previous years of service would count towards the ten-year total.

What happens during an election period?

The Bill specifies that any period during which a person acts as a caretaker prime minister following the dissolution of Parliament will not be counted towards the ten-year limit.

This ensures that the time spent overseeing an election does not unfairly shorten a prime minister’s official term.

What will it take for this to happen?

As this is a constitutional amendment, it will require the support of two thirds of all federal lawmakers to pass, meaning at least 148 of the 222 members.