KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — A majority of Malaysians support the idea of electing the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, according to a new Merdeka Center survey that also shows strong backing for wider political reforms under consideration in Parliament.

The proposal for direct elections for the KL mayor received 58 per cent support nationwide, compared to 19 per cent who opposed it.

Support was stronger among non-Malay respondents, where 65 per cent were in favour and only 10 per cent opposed. 

Among Malay respondents, 56 per cent supported the proposal while 26 per cent were against it.

The findings come as part of a broader survey on political reforms, which show consistent and cross-ethnic support for several key institutional changes.

Among them is a proposal to limit the prime minister’s tenure to a maximum of two terms or 10 years, which received 73 per cent support overall. 

This includes 71 per cent support among Malay respondents and 75 per cent among non-Malay respondents.

Even stronger backing was recorded for separating the roles of Attorney General’s Chambers and Public Prosecutor, a reform long advocated by civil society groups. 

The proposal drew 84 per cent support overall, with near-identical levels of approval among Malay respondents (84 per cent) and non-Malay respondents (86 per cent), while opposition remained in the low single digits across all groups.

The survey suggests broad and stable public support for institutional reforms, with little variation across ethnic lines on most of the key proposals.

The poll was conducted between March 12 and April 9, 2026, involving 1,209 registered voters sampled to reflect Malaysia’s national electoral profile.