🇲🇾 Malaysia: Politics & Democracy
Only partially — Malaysia's V-Dem liberal democracy score of 35.5 (0–100 scale) puts it in hybrid territory: some electoral competition exists, but liberal-democratic checks are weak.
Current leaders
Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor
Head of State
Anwar Ibrahim
Head of Government · People's Justice Party
Democracy trend
Upcoming elections
next Sarawak state election
2027-06-16T00:00:00Z2027 Malaysian general election
2027-11-30T00:00:00ZVoting alignment
Malaysia's closest UN General Assembly voting partners since 1946:
Frequently asked questions
Is Malaysia a democracy?
Only partially — Malaysia's V-Dem liberal democracy score of 35.5 (0–100 scale) puts it in hybrid territory: some electoral competition exists, but liberal-democratic checks are weak. It ranks #88 of 179 countries in 2025.
Is democracy in Malaysia improving or declining?
Malaysia's V-Dem liberal democracy score has improved by 15.1 points over the past decade, standing at 35.5 in 2025 (1-year change: −0.4).
Who leads Malaysia?
Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor is Malaysia's head of state; Anwar Ibrahim serves as head of government (People's Justice Party).
When is the next election in Malaysia?
next Sarawak state election is scheduled for 2027-06-16T00:00:00Z.