Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
The Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia (; ) is the second highest political office in Malaysia. There have been 13 officeholders since the office was created in 1957. The first Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, started the convention of appointing a deputy prime minister, but some cabinets have opted not to appoint a deputy prime minister. The latest and former deputy prime minister is Ismail Sabri Yaakob who served briefly from July to August 2021 for only 40 days before taking over as prime minister. He is also the shortest-serving Deputy Prime Minister of  Malaysia in history. Appointment. Malaysia has always had a Deputy Prime Minister for most of the time since independence. A Prime Minister may choose not to appoint a Deputy Prime Minister. The office of Deputy Prime Minister is not provided for in the Constitution of Malaysia. At the same time, a Prime Minister could appoint more than one Deputy Prime Minister, as has occurred before in neighbouring Singapore. From the independence in August 1957 to May 2018 when Barisan Nasional (BN) which the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) was the unofficial leader of the coalition, was the only ruling coalition  and by the practice, the UMNO Deputy President was usually appointed the Deputy Prime Minister by the Prime Minister (who was the UMNO President). In the organisational structure of BN, the President and Deputy President of UMNO were automatically made the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of BN. From May 2018 to February 2020 when Pakatan Harapan (PH), a coalition of four equal partner parties, was the only ruling coalition, the holder of the position of deputy prime minister was decided upon by the presidential council of PH. The post holder was Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who was also the first  female holder of post. From March 2020 to August 2021 when Perikatan Nasional (PN), a coalition which was aligned with the BN, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalitions and United Sabah Party (PBS), was the leading ruling coalition (as it held the post of Prime Minister), the holder of the position was vacant at most of the time from March 2020 to July 2021. Ismail Sabri Yaakob who was from BN only held the position from July to August 2021. Since August 2021 when BN, now a coalition which is also aligned with PN, GPS, PBS, is again the leading ruling  coalition (it was not the leading ruling coalition even after returning to be in power from March 2020 to August 2021 as it did not hold the post of Prime Minister) after returning to hold the post of Prime Minister, there has again been no holders of the position so far, the second time in the history after the period between March 2020 to July 2021 when PN was the leading ruling coalition. Deaths, resignations and removals from office. Of the thirteen previous officeholders, seven have stepped up to become Prime Ministers. Of the remaining, one died in office, two  resigned, two were removed from office (including one who later became Prime Minister) by the sitting Prime Minister, and two disqualified from office due to defeat in the 2018 general election and collapse of the federal administration in 2020 political crisis. Ismail Abdul Rahman died in office due to massive heart attack in 1973. Musa Hitam resigned from second Mahathir cabinet over differences with Prime Minister over government policy in 1986. Ghafar Baba resigned from his portfolio following UMNO grassroots lost confidence in his leadership and his position as Deputy President of UMNO was challenged by Anwar Ibrahim in the  UMNO's top leadership election. Anwar Ibrahim was the first deputy prime minister to be sacked after being accused and subsequently charged with corruption and sodomy in 1998. Muhyiddin Yassin was the second DPM to be removed from office after being dropped from the Cabinet by former Prime Minister Najib Razak in a reshuffle in 2015. He later was sacked from his party. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was disqualified from office after the seventh Mahathir cabinet was dissolved due to its fall from the federal administration in 2020. List of deputy prime ministers of Malaysia. Colour key (for political parties