Wan Azizah Wan Ismail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| وان عزيزة وان إسماعيل | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg) Wan Azizah in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse of the Prime Minister of Malaysia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed role 24 November 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Anwar Ibrahim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Muhaini Zainal Abidin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12thDeputy Prime Minister of Malaysia[a] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 21 May 2018 – 25 February 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarchs |
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| Prime Minister | Mahathir Mohamad | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ismail Sabri Yaakob | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11th and 13thLeader of the Opposition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 18 May 2015 – 10 May 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarchs |
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| Prime Minister | Najib Razak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Anwar Ibrahim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | Permatang Pauh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 9 March 2008 – 28 August 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Mizan Zainal Abidin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Abdullah Ahmad Badawi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Lim Kit Siang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Anwar Ibrahim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | Permatang Pauh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse of the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In role 1 December 1993 – 2 September 1998 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Mahathir Mohamad | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Anwar Ibrahim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Dayang Heryati Abdul Rahim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Endon Mahmood | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1952-12-03)3 December 1952 (age 73) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship | Malaysia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party |
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| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Ibrahim Abdul Rahman [ms] (father-in-law) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 6, includingNurul Izzah | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation |
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Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail[b] (born 3 December 1952) is a Malaysian politician who served as thespouse of the prime minister of Malaysia as the wife ofAnwar Ibrahim. A member of thePeople's Justice Party, she representedBandar Tun Razak in theParliament of Malaysia since 2022. She is the first woman to served asdeputy prime minister of Malaysia, a position she held from 2018 to 2020.
Born in theColony of Singapore, Wan Azizah graduated from theRoyal College of Surgeons in Ireland. She practised medicine, specialised in ophthalmology, and served as a government doctor for 14 years before leaving in 1993. Entering politics in 1998 after her husband's dismissal, she led theReformasi movement and founded the National Justice Party (PKN), laterPeople's Justice Party (PKR), becoming the second woman to lead a parliamentary party in Malaysia. She won thePermatang Pauh seat in1999, retained it in2004, and briefly stepped aside in2008 for her husband's return, but continued to lead PKR as it grew into an opposition force.
Wan Azizah became Malaysia's first femaleleader of the Opposition in April 2008, but resigned later that year to allow her husband to succeed her. During her time in opposition, she spoke out onhuman rights issues, and was active in domestic debates onMalay supremacy, governance, and land issues. She continued her political career, winning theKajang by-election in 2014 and later reclaimingPermatang Pauh in2015. She won thePandan seat in2018 and became Malaysia's first female deputy prime minister, while also serving asminister of women, family and community development. She left office during the2020 political crisis but returned to theDewan Rakyat in2022 after winning theBandar Tun Razak seat. Following her husband's appointment asprime minister that year, she became the spouse of the prime minister.
Wan Azizah was born on 3 December 1952 inSingapore.[2] Her father was Wan Ismail Wan Mahmood, and her mother, Mariah Khamis, raised her along with her three sisters and one brother.[3] She is ofPeranakan Chinese descent and was raised as aMalay Muslim.[4] She began her education at St. Nicholas Convent School before continuing her secondary studies atTunku Kurshiah College.[5] She went on to study medicine at theRoyal College of Surgeons in Ireland,[6] where she received a gold medal inobstetrics andgynaecology.[7]
Wan Azizah established a medical practice where she primarily treated women,[8] later specialising in ophthalmology.[9][10] She served as a government doctor for 14 years before resigning in 1993.[11][8][12] That same year, she shifted from her medical career to roles more closely associated with political life, taking on honorary positions, hosting visiting dignitaries,[13] and becoming a patron of theNational Cancer Council.[11]
Wan Azizah entered politics in September 1998 following the dismissal and arrest of her husbandAnwar Ibrahim oncharges of sodomy and corruption.[14] The event drew widespread domestic and international criticism and led her to assume leadership of theReformasi movement.[c][16] She founded the Social Justice Movement,[17] later named the National Justice Party (PKN) in April 1999.[6] She was the second woman in Malaysia to lead a political party[18] and the first to do so with parliamentary representation after winning thePermatang Pauh seat with a 9,077-vote majority that year.[17][19]
She promoted reform and attempted to unite opposition forces to confrontMahathir's government, although she was unsuccessful in preventing his party from retaining a supermajority in the1999 general election.[20] Wan Azizah rejected the idea ofMalay unity as the central political issue following the election. Instead, she argued that Malay support had shifted to the opposition due to disillusionment with leadership, abuses of power,corruption, police brutality, mismanagement of theeconomy, and a judiciary that was seen to lack independence.[21]
In August 2003, PKN merged with theMalaysian People's Party (PRM) to become thePeople's Justice Party (PKR),[6] with Wan Azizah as president.[22] She contested the2004 general election on the ticket of the new party and retained the Permatang Pauh seat by a margin of 590 votes and became the PKR's sole representative in Parliament.[6][23] In 2007, Wan Azizah indicated her readiness to vacate the party presidency when Anwar announced his intention to return to politics despite being legally barred.[24][25] She also relinquished the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, allowing Anwar, running as a PKR candidate, to win theby-election.[6][26] Under her continued leadership, the PKR won 31 seats in the2008 general election,[22] during which she defended her Permatang Pauh seat with a majority of 13,388 votes.[27]
On 30 April 2008, Wan Azizah became the first woman to hold the post ofLeader of the Opposition.[28] Her position was acknowledged during coalition negotiations by theMalaysian United Indigenous Party, led byMahathir Mohamad andMuhyiddin Yassin. This recognition helped sustain the PKR's leadership role within the opposition despite internal divisions and uncertainty over succession.[29] That same year, Wan Azizah sent a letter toMyanmar's ambassador expressing concern over themilitary junta's decision to proceed with aconstitutional referendum despite the ongoingCyclone Nargis crisis. She submitted a motion urgingSpeakerPandikar Amin Mulia to call for a postponement of the vote, to prioritise relief efforts and to press the regime to grant greater access to aid workers. She also called on theMalaysian government to use its influence to advocate for a delay, though the motion was rejected on the grounds of Malaysia's policy of neutrality and noninterference.[30] Her tenure as opposition leader ended on 28 August 2008,[31] when she resigned to make way for her husband,[32] who succeeded her.[33]
In 2010, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail called for the abolition ofMalay supremacy, highlighting its exploitation by a small elite and advocating for Malaysian children to grow up as "Malay of Integrity."[34] In June 2011, she faced aRM200 million defamation suit filed byFederal Land Development Authority (Felda) over articles inSuara Keadilan, with theHigh Court deciding her case would be heard separately from a related suit against formerdeputy ministerTan Kee Kwong.[35] In April 2012, she urged Felda to return 306,000 acres (124,000 ha) ofSabah land, arguing the agency had failed to develop it for settlers and had converted it into profitablepalm oil plantations.[36] In 2013, she confirmed she would not contest thegeneral election, focusing instead on the PKR's campaign and engaging women voters.[37]
In 2014, the High Court ruled in favour of Felda, raising the defamation damages Wan Azizah and her co-defendants were required to pay from RM70,000 to RM2 million.[38] Later that year, on 9 March, the PKR selected Wan Azizah as its candidate for theKajang by-election,[39] and she won the seat on 23 March with a majority of 5,379 votes.[40][41] In August, she received support from thePan-Malaysian Islamic Party to leadSelangor, a move by the opposition to challenge the long-rulingUMNO-ledBarisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which had faced criticism over governance and ethnic policies.[42]
Wan Azizah later contested the Permatang Pauh seat for the PKR,[43] winning with a majority of 8,841 votes,[44] and was sworn in as opposition leader on 18 May 2015, reclaiming the seat vacated by Anwar following his imprisonment in February.[45] In 2016, she helped forge an alliance between the opposition coalition and Mahathir'sMalaysian United Indigenous Party. By January 2018, the coalition, known as theAlliance of Hope, designated Mahathir as its prime ministerial candidate and Wan Azizah as his prospective deputy, uniting diverse factions and contributing to BN's defeat in the 2018 general election.[46] Wan Azizah subsequently contested and won thePandan seat with a majority of 52,543 votes.[47]
Following thegeneral election, she was appointed asdeputy prime minister in theseventh Mahathir cabinet and took office on 21 May 2018 after securing 64,733 votes.[1] She became the first woman to hold the position[1][48] and was sworn in beforeMuhammad V of Kelantan atIstana Negara, alongside 13 other cabinet ministers, while also serving concurrently asminister of women, family and community development.[1]
During her time in office, Wan Azizah made several diplomatic visits. On 26 February 2019, she held a meeting withHassanal Bolkiah during her first official visit to Brunei.[49] Later that year, on 9 July, she met withVice President of ChinaWang Qishan atZhongnanhai.[50] On 12 February 2020, she publicly honoured three women whistle-blowers from the Auditor General's Office for exposing tampering in the1MDB audit report, praising their courage and calling for greater female involvement in anti-corruption efforts.[51] On the following day, she urged women's empowerment and greater engagement at anAPEC symposium inPutrajaya, highlighting the need for education, advocacy, and safe reporting channels to combat corruption.[52]
According to former attorney-generalTommy Thomas, Wan Azizah was the preferred candidate ofAbdullah of Pahang for interimprime minister following Mahathir’s resignation in February 2020.[53] She officially left office on 25 February 2020.[54][55] Her tenure as deputy prime minister ended when Abdullah dissolved the cabinet on Mahathir's advice, amid the2020 political crisis, which involved the resignation and interim reinstatement of the prime minister.[56] Her successor,Ismail Sabri Yaakob, was appointed later, in July 2021, by Prime Minister Muhyiddin.[57][58]
In the2022 general election on 19 November, Wan Azizah won theBandar Tun Razak parliamentary seat with a majority of 9,817 votes, defeating candidates fromPerikatan Nasional and BN.[59] Her husband was sworn in as Malaysia's prime minister on 24 November 2022,[60][61] making her thespouse of the Prime Minister of Malaysia.[62] She later participated in a mental health discussion at theAPEC United States 2023 on 17 November, hosted byJill Biden, where she highlighted concerns over artificial intelligence and data privacy's impact on mental well-being.[63] On 9 September 2024, Wan Azizah called for global action to end theGaza war and prioritise rebuilding educational institutions, emphasising that education is a fundamental right and vital for children's survival.[64] On 10 January 2025, she welcomedYoshiko Ishiba, wife ofShigeru Ishiba, in Putrajaya.[65]
Wan Azizah married Anwar Ibrahim on 28 February 1980, and the couple have six children,[66] the eldest beingNurul Izzah, a member of parliament.[67] In November 2022, she declared assets worth about RM1.4 million, including RM1 million in cash and savings and four vehicles valued at RM360,000, with no debts, property, or other investments.[68] She accompanied her husband to performUmrah on 12 November 2023, where they also prayed for peace and prosperity inPalestine following theOIC Extraordinary Summit inRiyadh.[69] In October 2024, Wan Azizah underwent a medical procedure at Sultan Idris Shah Hospital inSerdang.[70]
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | P044Permatang Pauh | Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (keADILan) | 23,820 | 61.77% | Ibrahim Saad (UMNO) | 14,743 | 38.23% | 39,210 | 9,077 | 78.94% | ||
| 2004 | Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR) | 21,737 | 50.69% | Pirdaus Ismail (UMNO) | 21,147 | 49.31% | 43,734 | 590 | 80.93% | |||
| 2008 | Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR) | 30,338 | 64.16% | Pirdaus Ismail (UMNO) | 16,950 | 35.84% | 47,442 | 13,388 | 81.17% | |||
| 2015 | Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR) | 30,316 | 57.09% | Suhaimi Sabudin (UMNO) | 21,475 | 40.44% | 53,102 | 8,841 | 74.53% | |||
| 2018 | P100Pandan | Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR) | 64,733 | 75.47% | Leong Kok Wee (MCA) | 12,190 | 14.21% | 85,774 | 52,543 | 84.66% | ||
| Mohamed Sukri Omar (PAS) | 8,335 | 9.72% | ||||||||||
| Lee Ying Ha (PRM) | 442 | 0.52% | ||||||||||
| Wan Muhd Azri Wan Deris (IND) | 73 | 0.09% | ||||||||||
| 2022 | P124Bandar Tun Razak | Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR) | 43,476 | 46.74% | Kamarudin Jaffar (BERSATU) | 33,659 | 36.18% | 93,021 | 9,817 | 78.74% | ||
| Chew Yin Keen (MCA) | 15,886 | 17.08% | ||||||||||
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | N25Kajang | Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR) | 16,741 | 59.57% | Chew Mei Fun (MCA) | 11,362 | 40.43% | 28,314 | 5,379 | 72.09% | ||
In 2008, Wan Azizah was awarded theOrder of the Defender of State, carrying the titleDatuk Seri, duringPenang'sstate honours in recognition of her contributions to public service and leadership.[73] She later received an honorary fellowship from the Academy of Medicine Malaysia on 7 July 2023,[74] followed by an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in Political and Social Sciences from theUniversity of Selangor on 9 September 2023.[75] She also had a new orchid hybrid named after her, during the launch of Orkid Putrajaya 2023, on 14 December of that year.[76]
On 26 April 2025, she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in Ophthalmology by the Malaysian Society of Ophthalmology for her contributions to eye care and medical education.[10] On 14 June 2025, she was conferred the Eminent Educator Award byNazrin Shah of Perak for her role in advancing medical education and the Parallel Pathway training programme in Malaysia.[77]
Penang
Knight Commander of theOrder of the Defender of State (DPPN) –Dato' Seri (2008)[78]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Position established | President of thePeople's Justice Party 1999–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Leader of thePeople's Pact 2008 | ||
| Parliament of Malaysia | ||
| Preceded by Anwar Ibrahim | Member of theDewan Rakyat forPermatang Pauh 1999–2008 | Succeeded by Anwar Ibrahim |
| Member of theDewan Rakyat forPermatang Pauh 2015–2018 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Member of theDewan Rakyat forPandan 2018–present | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the Opposition 2008, 2015–2018 | Succeeded by Anwar Ibrahim |
| Preceded by Anwar Ibrahim | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia 2018–2020 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
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