Dewan Rakyat

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Dewan Rakyat ( Malay "Hall of the People" , often referred to as the House of Representatives ) is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia and was founded in 1959. Together with the Dewan Negara (Hall of the Nation, Senate) it forms the legislature . It was built according to the Westminster system. Both chambers are seated in the parliament building in Kuala Lumpur .

elections

The 222 members of the Dewan Rakyat are directly elected every five years in single-person constituencies in a simple majority vote. All Malaysian citizens over the age of 21 who are resident in the country and who are not insane or who have received a sentence of over one year or death have the right to vote. The same restrictions apply to the right to stand as a candidate, although sentencing to a fine of over 2000 ringgit also excludes the election.

position

In legislation, the Dewan Rakyat cannot overrule the Dewan Negara; however, negative votes by the Dewan Negara against a law in the event of a conflict only have a suspensive effect of one year. Bills are usually based on the Dewan Rakyat. Most constitutional amendments only require a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat, some also require the approval of the Dewan Negara, the rulers' assembly ( Majlis Raja-Raja ) or the governors of the East Malaysian states.

Like most ministers, the Prime Minister usually comes from the Dewan Rakyat. He loses his office if he loses a confidence or budget vote in the Dewan Rakyat.

The last elections in May 2018 led to a change of power for the first time in the history of the country: The Barisan Nasional ( National Front ) alliance lost a majority to Pakatan Harapan , a coalition of several opposition parties.

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