Thestate governments in Malaysia are the governments ruling the13 states in the federation ofMalaysia. All 13 states adopts theWestminsterParliamentary system and each has a unicameralstate legislative assembly. Each of theStates of Malaya is run by anExecutive Council (EXCO), whileSabah andSarawak have their respectiveCabinet andMinistry. The state government structure in all 13 states is similar to the government system of thefederal government of Malaysia and that the state legislatures consist of only asingle chamber.
For each of the States of Malaya and the Borneo States, the Head of State is known as either a Ruler or a Governor.
The Rulers include the Sultans ofJohor,Pahang,Perak,Kedah,Kelantan,Selangor, andTerengganu; theRaja of Perlis; and theYang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan.
The Governors include theYang di-Pertua-Yang di-Pertua Negeri ofPenang,Malacca,Sabah andSarawak.
All 13 Heads of State comprise theConference of Rulers, but only the 9 Rulers from the States of Malaya are eligible to be elected asYang di-Pertuan Agong, the Supreme Head of the Federation on a rotational basis according to seniority.
The role of the Head of State is similar to the role of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at the state level, in that the Head of State has the discretion to: appoint a Head of Government who in his opinion is likely to command the confidence of the majority of theState Legislative Assembly; withhold consent to a request for the dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly. However, as Islam is also a state matter,[1] not a federal matter, the Rulers from the States of Malaya also act as the Head of Islam in their respective States and have the discretion to oversee matters relating to Islam or Malay custom, and are able to request for a meeting of the Conference of Rulers in relation to these matters. For the States without Rulers, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong performs the function of the Head of Islam. Otherwise, the Head of State plays a ceremonial role and acts on the advice of the State Government, including assenting to bills passed in the Legislative Assembly byconvention.
For the States with Rulers, each Ruler being hereditary monarchs also have the discretion to appoint an heir or heirs, consort, Regent or Council of Regency. For States without Rulers, each Governor is appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong acting in his discretion but after consultation with the Head of Government.
For the States with Rulers, the Head of Government is known as theMenteri Besar, in both English and Malay.
For the States without Rulers, the Head of Government is known as the Chief Minister in English, or theKetua Menteri in Malay.[2] Additionally, for the State of Sarawak, the Head of Government is known as the Premier, in both English and Malay.
Pursuant to Article 73-79 of theFederal Constitution, the state legislature is empowered to legislate on matters such as land matters, public works, local government, agriculture and forestry, Islamic law and public holidays. Pursuant to Article 80 of the Federal Constitution, the state executive in turn has administrative power over all matters which the state legislature may legislate under the constitution.Federalism in Malaysia is quite strong whereby the federal government retains by far more powers compared to the respective state governments. This is also reflected in the budget allocation towards the state and federal government.[3]
Last Updated 11th September 2025
| State government | Ruling party | Incumbent |
|---|---|---|
 Government of Selangor | Pakatan Harapan andBarisan Nasional | Amirudin Shari (PKR) |
 Government of Sarawak | Gabungan Parti Sarawak | Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg (PBB) |
 Government of Johor | Barisan Nasional | Onn Hafiz Ghazi (UMNO) |
.svg) Government of Penang | Pakatan Harapan andBarisan Nasional | Chow Kon Yeow (DAP) |
 Government of Perak | Barisan Nasional andPakatan Harapan | Saarani Mohamad (UMNO) |
 Government of Sabah | Gabungan Rakyat Sabah andPakatan Harapan | Hajiji Noor (PGRS) |
 Government of Pahang | Barisan Nasional andPakatan Harapan | Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail (UMNO) |
 Government of Kedah |  Perikatan Nasional | Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor (PAS) |
 Government of Terengganu | Perikatan Nasional | Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar (PAS) |
 Government of Negeri Sembilan | Pakatan Harapan andBarisan Nasional | Aminuddin Harun (PKR) |
 Government of Malacca | Pakatan Harapan andBarisan Nasional | Ab Rauf Yusoh (UMNO) |
 Government of Kelantan | Perikatan Nasional | Mohd Nassuruddin Daud (PAS) |
 Government of Perlis | Perikatan Nasional | Mohd Shukri Ramli (PAS) |
Despite having significant representation in federal parliament and various state assemblies,BERSATU do not currently hold any state government positions.