2020–2022 Malaysian political crisis

The 2020–2022 Malaysian political crisis was triggered after several Members of Parliament (MPs) of the 14th Malaysian Parliament changed party support, leading to the loss of a parliamentary majority, the collapse of two successive coalition governments and the resignation of two Prime Ministers. The political crisis culminated in a 2022 snap general election and the eventual formation of a coalition government. The crisis ended in 2022 at the federal level but continued until 2023 in the state of Sabah in what became known as the Kinabalu Move.

In February 2020, a development commonly referred to as the Sheraton Move, saw the fall of the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition government and the resignation of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad after 22 months in office. They were replaced by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition government, led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Political instability persisted after these changes throughout 2020 and into 2021, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This culminated in the resignation of Muhyiddin and his cabinet in August 2021, after 17 months in power. A few days later, Ismail Sabri Yaakob was appointed as the ninth prime minister to replace Muhyiddin. The crisis triggered several early state elections and a 2022 snap general election.

The crisis began with divisions within the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition. Some sources indicate that this developed in part due to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's efforts to manage the transition of power to his designated successor, Anwar Ibrahim, as had been agreed upon before the 2018 general election. Several MPs began discussions about forming a new government by claiming majority support in the Dewan Rakyat, the lower chamber of the bicameral Parliament of Malaysia, without a general election.

This was achieved through the withdrawal of the Parti Pribumi BERSATU Malaysia (BERSATU) from the Pakatan Harapan coalition and the support of several MPs from the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), led by its deputy president Azmin Ali, who left the party. Prime Minister Mahathir then resigned, creating a power vacuum.

Malaysia's monarch, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Abdullah of Pahang, met with all MPs and political party leaders to assess their support for a new prime minister. He ultimately appointed the president of BERSATU, Muhyiddin Yassin, as the eighth prime minister. Muhyiddin then declared his coalition government as Perikatan Nasional.

Four states — Johor, Malacca, Perak and Kedah — also experienced changes in their respective state governments as Perikatan Nasional gained majorities in the separate state legislative assemblies. The Sabah State Legislative Assembly was dissolved, triggering the 2020 Sabah state election. Perikatan Nasional won the election and formed the state government with Barisan Nasional and United Sabah Party under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition.

Political instability continued after the government change. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim announced in September 2020 that he had obtained majority support to form a new government, though this did not materialise. Malaysia declared a State of Emergency in January 2021 amid the worsening COVID-19 pandemic, which contributed to further instability within the Perikatan Nasional coalition in mid-2021. After a lengthy suspension, parliament temporarily reconvened but debates over the emergency measures were blocked and the session was suspended again when COVID-19 cases were detected in the building. Opposition MPs attempted to enter parliament on 2 August 2021 after the State of Emergency was lifted, but were prevented from doing so by police. After losing majority support and unsuccessful attempts to regain it, Prime Minister Muhyiddin and his cabinet resigned on 16 August 2021.

Four days later, UMNO's Vice President Ismail Sabri Yaakob was appointed prime minister by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after receiving support from the most MPs. Ismail Sabri's government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Pakatan Harapan in an attempt to ensure greater political stability. In 2021 and 2022, instability in state legislative assemblies triggered further elections in Malacca and Johor. The crisis culminated in an early general election in 2022, which resulted in a hung parliament; Anwar Ibrahim was subsequently appointed as prime minister to lead a coalition government.