KUALA LUMPUR: The constitutional amendment to limit the prime minister’s tenure to two terms has been tabled for the first reading in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Feb 23).
The Bill was tabled by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
A constitutional amendment requires the support of two-thirds or 148 MPs of the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat.
The second and third readings of the Bill have been set for March.
The proposed amendment involves Article 43 of the Federal Constitution, which is related to the appointment of a Prime Minister.
The new proposed Clause 2(a) stipulates that the Prime Minister shall not hold office for period amounting to more than ten years, either continuously or otherwise.
According to the new Clause (4b), Cabinet will also be dissolved once the prime minister’s ten-year tenure ends. The outgoing prime minister and Cabinet are allowed to carry out caretaker duties under a new Clause (4c) of Article 43 until a new government is formed. However, their function will be limited.
A prime minister’s tenure prior to the enactment of the new law will also be taken into account when computing the ten years.
