In the bloc vote, 146 MPs supported the bill, 44 abstained and 32 were absent.
The bill needed at least 148 votes to meet the two-thirds majority required for constitutional amendments.
The results of the vote were announced by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul.
In a Facebook post following the vote, Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Alice Lau said eight MPs from the government bloc were absent.
“All MPs from Pakatan Harapan were present and backed the bill.”
Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said tabled the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 on Feb 23, proposing a lifetime cap on the premiership, with time served counted, whether continuous or across separate terms.
The proposed amendment also stipulated that once the limit is reached, the prime minister and the Cabinet must step down but may continue in a caretaker role until a new prime minister is appointed.
During the debate, MPs from both sides supported the idea of term limits, although several raised concerns about how the limit would be calculated and how the transition would take place when a prime minister reaches the cap.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had previously said the proposed limit would apply to him first, while Azalina said former prime ministers who have already served more than 10 years would be barred from being reappointed if the bill becomes law.
A total of 41 MPs took part in the debate, which ran through the afternoon, with many raising questions over whether a term-based limit would work better than an outright 10-year cap.
Opposition MPs, largely from PAS, said they were concerned the bill would encroach on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s powers, arguing the King has the ultimate say on who becomes prime minister.
They also said that apart from a tenure cap, there should be a clear separation between the roles of the prime minister and finance minister.
Leading the argument on the King’s powers was Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu), who said caveats should be added so that the Agong’s discretion is not infringed upon.
Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muda-Muar) said the government was putting the cart before the horse by imposing term limits before introducing political financing laws, which he said were sorely needed to keep politicians from being “enslaved” by the wealthy.
Backbencher William Leong (PH-Selayang) said the term limit would mark a major shift from the Westminster tradition, where a prime minister typically has no fixed term limit and can be removed through a no-confidence vote or lose party support.
He said if passed, the country would be among the earliest in the Commonwealth to introduce a constitutional term limit for the premiership, describing the move as “brave and progressive”.
Azalina dismissed claims that the amendment would usurp the Agong’s powers, saying it only introduces a new condition to the prime minister’s term in office and does not touch on the rights of the Malay rulers.