{{Politics of Malaysia}}
The '''Prime Minister of Malaysia''' is the indirectly elected Head_of_government of Malaysia. He is formally appointed by the Yang_di-Pertuan_Agong, or King, of Malaysia, and is invariably the leader of the largest party in the federal House of Representatives (''Dewan_Rakyat''), the elected lower house of Parliament. Since independence in 1957 the prime minister has been from the United_Malays_National_Organisation (UMNO), the largest component party of the Barisan_Nasional or National Front (known as ''Perikatan'' or Alliance until the 1969 general election).
The current and fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia is Dato' Seri Abdullah_Ahmad_Badawi.
==Requirements for taking office==
According to the Constitution_of_Malaysia, the Prime Minister must be:
*A member of the ''Dewan Rakyat'' (House of Representatives).
*Born a citizen of Malaysia; naturalised citizens may not be appointed as Prime Minister.
Although theoretically, the constitution gives the Yang di-Pertuan Agong discretion in the appointment of the Prime Minister, the appointment is invariably made based on vote-taking in the House or on the party commanding the most seats.
Worry has been expressed that Malays, whether from UMNO or Parti Islam SeMalaysia, will prevent a non-Bumiputra (such as a Malaysian_Chinese) from becoming Prime Minister. However, the government has repeatedly assured the public that the constitution does not mandate that the Prime Minister must be a Bumiputra.
==List of Prime Ministers of Malaysia==
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor=#cccccc
! Name !! Took Office !! Left Office !! Party
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
| Tunku_Abdul_Rahman || 1957 || 1970 || UMNO
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
| Tun Abdul Razak || 1970 || 1976 || UMNO
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
| Tun Hussein Onn || 1976 || 1981 || UMNO
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
| Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad || 1981 || 2003 || UMNO
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
| Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi || 2003 || (present) || UMNO
|}
==External links==
* Official Website of the Prime Minister of Malaysia
*
Category:Government_of_Malaysia
Es:Primer_ministro_de_Malasia
Id:Perdana_Menteri_Malaysia
Ms:Perdana_Menteri_Malaysia
Zh:马来西亚首相