Malaysia introduced new legislation yesterday to restrict the prime minister’s tenure to a maximum of two terms, a move aimed at boosting accountability and curbing the overreach of executive powers.

The Southeast Asian nation currently places no cap on how many terms a premier can serve.

Former leader Mahathir Mohamad held office for 24 years across two stints -- from 1981 to 2003 and again between 2018 and 2020.

Current Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in January announced a push for a two-term limit amid renewed calls for him to tackle corruption and improve governance.

In its election manifesto in 2022, Anwar’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition in 2022 pledged a two-term limit on the premiership.

But there has been criticism about the slow pace of reform, local media reports said.