The short answer
PKR grew from the Reformasi movement after Anwar Ibrahim’s 1998 dismissal. Wan Azizah launched its predecessor in 1999, a merger with PRM created the present name, and the party moved through opposition coalitions, federal government, the 2020 split and Anwar’s premiership.
Leadership eras
PKR’s leadership and coalition phases
Formal party office, coalition leadership and government office are different roles. This chronology keeps them separate.
| Period | Party leadership | Coalition and national role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2008 | Wan Azizah led Keadilan and PKR | Barisan Alternatif, then opposition renewal |
| 2008–2018 | Wan Azizah president; Anwar de facto leader | Pakatan Rakyat, then Pakatan Harapan |
| 2018–2025 | Anwar president; changing deputies | Government, opposition, then premiership |
| 2025–present | Anwar president; Nurul Izzah deputy | Lead party in PH and federal government |
Chronology
A timeline of the turning points
Anwar Ibrahim is dismissed
His removal as deputy prime minister and from UMNO triggered protests and the Reformasi movement.
Parti Keadilan Nasional is launched
Reformasi organisers led by Wan Azizah Wan Ismail used an existing registered party as their electoral vehicle.
Keadilan contests its first general election
It won five parliamentary seats while campaigning with PAS, DAP and PRM in Barisan Alternatif.
Keadilan and PRM agree to merge
A 13-point memorandum led to the launch of the combined Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
PKR wins 31 parliamentary seats
The opposition denied BN a two-thirds majority and later organised Pakatan Rakyat.
PKR helps build Pakatan Harapan
After Pakatan Rakyat broke apart, PKR joined DAP and Amanah in PH, which later admitted Bersatu.
PH wins the first federal transfer
PKR became a governing party; Anwar succeeded Wan Azizah as party president later that year.
Defections help end the PH government
A group led by PKR deputy president Azmin Ali left the party during the Sheraton Move.
Anwar becomes prime minister
After GE15 produced a hung Parliament, PKR led a broad federal government through PH.
Nurul Izzah becomes deputy president
Members elected her deputy while Anwar retained the presidency unopposed for the 2025–2028 term.
A new leadership realignment
Former deputy Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad left PKR, while Anwar and Nurul Izzah remained its top two leaders.
How did Reformasi create PKR?
PKR’s origin lies in the political crisis of 1998. Anwar Ibrahim’s dismissal from government and UMNO generated street protests, civil-society organising and a call for reform of public institutions under the name Reformasi.
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail led the Social Justice Movement, or ADIL. When registering a new party proved difficult, organisers took over the already registered Ikatan Masyarakat Islam Malaysia and relaunched it as Parti Keadilan Nasional on 4 April 1999.
The party joined DAP, PAS and PRM in Barisan Alternatif for the 1999 election. Its early identity combined support for Anwar with a broader programme of democratic accountability, social justice and multiracial politics.
Why did Keadilan merge with Parti Rakyat Malaysia?
The two parties shared opposition to abuse of power and a commitment to the Reformasi agenda. They signed a 13-point merger memorandum on 5 July 2002 and launched the combined organisation on 3 August 2003.
Registration changes were not completed before the 2004 election, so candidates used Keadilan’s existing symbol. Wan Azizah retained Permatang Pauh, the party’s only parliamentary seat.
The merged name, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, signalled an attempt to move from a protest vehicle toward a durable national party with a multi-ethnic reform platform.
How did PKR become a major national party?
PKR won 31 parliamentary seats in 2008, while DAP and PAS also advanced. Their cooperation became Pakatan Rakyat, which governed several states and established an opposition bloc large enough to deny BN its customary two-thirds majority.
After Pakatan Rakyat broke apart in 2015, PKR joined DAP and Amanah in Pakatan Harapan. Bersatu later joined, and PH won the 2018 general election with 113 seats.
Wan Azizah became deputy prime minister and PKR entered federal government for the first time. Anwar returned to Parliament and succeeded her as president, but the planned transfer of the premiership remained contested.
What happened to PKR during the 2020 crisis?
In February 2020, Bersatu left PH and a group aligned with PKR deputy president Azmin Ali defected. The realignment deprived the PH administration of its majority and led to Muhyiddin Yassin’s appointment as prime minister.
PKR expelled Azmin and other defectors. The episode reduced its parliamentary strength and sharpened debate over internal organisation, candidate loyalty and the balance between a broad coalition and party discipline.
PKR remained the central party of PH and returned to the federal executive after the 2022 election, when no coalition won a majority and Anwar assembled support from BN and regional partners.
Who leads PKR in 2026?
Anwar Ibrahim remained president after being returned unopposed for the 2025–2028 term. Members elected Nurul Izzah Anwar deputy president in May 2025, defeating incumbent Rafizi Ramli.
Rafizi and former vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad left PKR in 2026 and pursued a separate political vehicle. Their departure represented an important factional realignment, but it did not change the official Anwar–Nurul Izzah leadership at this page’s review date.
PKR is a component party of PH and Anwar leads the federal government. Those are related but distinct roles: the party, coalition and multi-coalition government should not be treated as interchangeable organisations.
Continue the chronology
Related history guides
Malaysia’s Reformasi Movement
Trace the movement that produced Keadilan and reshaped opposition politics.
Read the timeline2015–presentPakatan Harapan: History and Parties
Place PKR inside the coalition it now leads in federal government.
Read the timeline9 May 2018Malaysia’s 2018 General Election
Read how PH and its component parties achieved the first transfer.
Read the timeline19 November 2022Malaysia’s 2022 General Election
Follow the hung Parliament that led to Anwar’s government.
Read the timelineBiography context
Explore Malaysia through connected lives
Connected biographies
Five lives connected to PKR’s formation, coalition growth and federal rise
Malaysia · Politics1947—
Anwar Ibrahim
Tenth Prime Minister of MalaysiaA student activist turned government minister, opposition leader and Malaysia’s tenth prime minister after one of the longest routes to national office.Read biography
Malaysia · Politics1952—
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
Member of Parliament and former deputy prime ministerThe ophthalmologist who became a central Reformasi leader, Malaysia’s first woman opposition leader and its first woman deputy prime minister.Read biography
Malaysia · Politics1980—
Nurul Izzah Anwar
Deputy president of Parti Keadilan RakyatThe former two-seat member of Parliament and Reformasi campaigner who became deputy president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat in 2025.Read biography
Malaysia · Politics1925—
Mahathir Mohamad
Fourth and seventh Prime Minister of MalaysiaA physician-politician whose two premierships—separated by fifteen years—made him the longest-serving and one of the most consequential leaders in Malaysian history.Read biography
Malaysia · Politics1947—
Muhyiddin Yassin
Eighth Prime Minister of MalaysiaA veteran Johor politician who became prime minister after the 2020 coalition crisis and governed through the most disruptive phase of the pandemic.Read biographyQuick answers
Common questions
- What does PKR stand for?
- PKR stands for Parti Keadilan Rakyat, usually translated as the People's Justice Party.
- When was PKR founded?
- Its direct predecessor, Parti Keadilan Nasional, was launched on 4 April 1999. The merged Parti Keadilan Rakyat was launched on 3 August 2003.
- Who founded PKR?
- Wan Azizah Wan Ismail led the founding Reformasi organisation, while Anwar Ibrahim was the movement’s central political figure.
- Is PKR the same as Pakatan Harapan?
- No. PKR is one party inside Pakatan Harapan, alongside DAP and Amanah at the review date.
- Who is PKR president in 2026?
- Anwar Ibrahim remained president for the 2025–2028 term.
- Who is PKR deputy president in 2026?
- Nurul Izzah Anwar won the May 2025 party election and remained deputy president at the review date.
- How many seats did PKR win in 2008?
- PKR won 31 Dewan Rakyat seats at the 2008 general election.
Primary and institutional sources
How this history was checked
PKR’s archive establishes its organisational chronology and stated principles; party-election records and BERNAMA establish the 2025–2026 leadership changes; election records anchor national results. This article was reviewed on 4 October 2026.
- Parti Keadilan RakyatParty History
- Parti Keadilan Rakyat2026 National Congress Presidential Address
- PKR Election Committee2025 Central Leadership Council Results
- BERNAMANurul Izzah Elected New PKR Deputy President
- BERNAMARafizi and Nik Nazmi Leave PKR for a New Political Vehicle
- Election Commission of MalaysiaMalaysia's General Election Journey