At stake in this election:

• 193 seats in the House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Paramount Ruler JA'AFAR ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Dr. MAHATHIR bin Mohamad
• Assembly: Malaysia has a bicameral Parliament (Parlimen) consisting of the Senate (Dewan Negara) with 69 seats and the House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat) with 193 seats.

* The Paramount Ruler is elected by and from nine of the sultans ruling the penisular Malaysian islands.

Description of electoral system:

• The Paramount Ruler is indirectly elected by hereditary state rulers to serve a 5-year term.
• The Prime Minister is designated by the monarch.
• In the Senate (Dewan Negara), 43 members are appointed by the state legislatures to serve 3-year terms and 26 members are appointed by the state legislatures to serve 3-year terms. In the House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat) 193 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Bloc: Barisan Nasional (BN)
  • Leader: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. MAHATHIR bin Mohamad
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 148
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 162
• Party: National Justice Party
  • Leader: Datin Seri Dr. Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 5
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: N/A
• Party: Democratic Action Party
  • Leader: LIM Kit Siang
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 10
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 9
• Party: Pan Malaysian Islamic Party
  • Leader: Ustaz Seri Dato Fadzil Mohamed NOOR
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 27
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 7
• Party: Bersatu Sabah (PBS)
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 3
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 8

Population:

• Population: 22,898,579 (1999)
• Registered Voters: 9,694,196 (1999)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 11,248,818 (1999)

·         Is Malaysia a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Malaysia ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (5 July 1995)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 14 (House of Representatives) (following the 1999 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 62 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Malaysia a signatory to CRPD: Yes (8 April 2008)

·         Has Malaysia ratified CRPD: Yes (19 July 2010)

·         Population with a disability: 3,434,786 (est.)