Wan Azizah Wan Ismail

Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
وان عزيزة وان إسماعيل
Wan Azizah in 2019
Spouse of the Prime Minister of Malaysia
Assumed role
24 November 2022
Prime MinisterAnwar Ibrahim
Preceded byMuhaini Zainal Abidin
12th Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
In office
21 May 2018 – 24 February 2020
MonarchsMuhammad V
Abdullah
Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad
Preceded byAhmad Zahid Hamidi
Succeeded byIsmail Sabri Yaakob
1st President of the Pakatan Harapan
Assumed office
14 July 2017
DeputyLim Guan Eng (2017–2022)
Anthony Loke Siew Fook (since 2022)
Mohamad Sabu
Wilfred Madius Tangau (2021–2023)
Ewon Benedick
(since 2023)
ChairmanMahathir Mohamad (2017–2020)
Anwar Ibrahim
(since 2020)
Preceded byPosition established
1st President of the People's Justice Party
In office
4 April 1999 – 17 November 2018
DeputyChandra Muzaffar
(1999–2001)
Syed Husin Ali
(2003–2010)
Azmin Ali
(2010–2018)
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAnwar Ibrahim
11th and 13th Leader of the Opposition
In office
18 May 2015 – 10 May 2018
MonarchsAbdul Halim
Muhammad V
Prime MinisterNajib Razak
Preceded byAnwar Ibrahim
Succeeded byAhmad Zahid Hamidi
ConstituencyPermatang Pauh
In office
9 March 2008 – 28 August 2008
MonarchMizan Zainal Abidin
Prime MinisterAbdullah Ahmad Badawi
Preceded byLim Kit Siang (DAP)
Succeeded byAnwar Ibrahim (PKR)
ConstituencyPermatang Pauh
Spouse of the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
In role
1 December 1993 – 2 September 1998
MonarchsAzlan Shah
Ja’afar
Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad
DeputyAnwar Ibrahim
Preceded byDayang Heryati Abdul Rahim
Succeeded byEndon Mahmood
Member of the Malaysian Parliament
for Bandar Tun Razak
Assumed office
19 November 2022
Preceded byKamaruddin Jaafar
(PNBERSATU)
Majority9,817 (2022)
Member of the Malaysian Parliament
for Pandan
In office
9 May 2018 – 19 November 2022
Preceded byRafizi Ramli
(PR–PKR)
Succeeded byRafizi Ramli
(PH–PKR)
Majority52,543 (2018)
Member of the Malaysian Parliament
for Permatang Pauh
In office
7 May 2015 – 9 May 2018
Preceded byAnwar Ibrahim
(PR–PKR)
Succeeded byNurul Izzah Anwar
(PH–PKR)
Majority8,841 (2015)
In office
29 November 1999 – 31 July 2008
Preceded byAnwar Ibrahim
(BNUMNO)
Succeeded byAnwar Ibrahim
(PR–PKR)
Majority9,077 (1999)
590 (2004)
13,388 (2008)
Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly
for Kajang
In office
7 April 2014 – 9 May 2018
Preceded byLee Chin Cheh
(PR–PKR)
Succeeded byHee Loy Sian
(PH–PKR)
Majority5,379 (2014)
Personal details
Born
Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail

(1952-12-03) 3 December 1952 (age 71)
KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Colony of Singapore (now Singapore)
Political party People's Justice Party (PKR) (1999–present)
Other political
affiliations
Barisan Alternatif (BA) (1999–2004)
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) (2008–2015)
Pakatan Harapan (PH) (2015–present)
Spouse
(m. 1980)
Children6, including Nurul Izzah
Alma materRoyal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail (Jawi: وان عزيزة بنت وان إسماعيل; born 3 December 1952) is a Malaysian politician who has served as Spouse of the Prime Minister of Malaysia as the wife of Anwar Ibrahim, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bandar Tun Razak since November 2022 and 1st President of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition since July 2017. She served as the 12th Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Women, Family and Community Development in the PH administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from May 2018 to the collapse of the PH administration in February 2020, 1st President of the People's Justice Party (PKR) from April 1999 to November 2018, the 11th and 13th Leader of the Opposition from March 2008 to August 2008 and again from May 2015 to May 2018, MP for Pandan from May 2018 to November 2022, for Permatang Pauh from November 1999 to March 2008 and again from May 2015 to May 2018 as well as Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Kajang from April 2014 to May 2018.[1][2] She was the first female Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition as well as the highest ever female political officeholder in the history of Malaysia. She joined politics and held a number of political offices on behalf of her husband Anwar to retain his political influence during his absence from politics due to a series of his sodomy trials and prison sentences that had prevented him from holding the offices. She most notably served as the 1st President of PKR from the party formation to officially handing over the party leadership to Anwar after his release from prison while Anwar served as the "de facto" leader during the period.

  1. ^ "Mahathir named chairman, Anwar named de facto leader of Pakatan Harapan". Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Malaysia PM Mahathir Mohamad appointed education minister in new cabinet". Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.