Malaysia’s DAP votes overwhelmingly to stay on in Cabinet, offering reprieve to PM Anwar

Nearly all members of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) voted at its congress to keep its Cabinet ministers in Malaysia's unity government, sparing Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim from the possibility of calling an early general election. Delegates at the congress in Putrajaya resolved to keep the five full ministers and seven deputy ministers in their posts.

Of the 2,106 secret ballots cast, 1,857 voted to stay, while 242 wanted the ministers to leave their positions. There were seven ballots that were spoiled. The vote came after the DAP suffered a poor showing in the November 2025 Sabah state election, where it lost all eight contested seats. The congress was initially scheduled for July 12 but was postponed due to the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections, which reduced DAP's seat count from 10 to six and 11 to nine in Johor and Negeri Sembilan, respectively.

If the DAP had withdrawn from the Cabinet, it would have endangered Anwar's administration and potentially prompted an early election. The DAP has 32 ministers in Malaysia's Cabinet, which also includes 30 deputy ministers.