Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Mokhtar is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Ahmad Samsuri. The word "bin"/"ibn" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.

Ahmad Samsuri bin Mokhtar (Jawi: أحمد سمسوري بن مختار; born 16 November 1970) is a Malaysian politician, aerospace engineer and lecturer who has served as the 15th Menteri Besar of Terengganu, Member of the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Ru Rendang since May 2018, Member of Parliament (MP) for Kemaman since December 2023, and Group Chairman for Terengganu Incorporated (TI Group). He held a brief stint as the 18th Leader of the Opposition from May to June 2026 before being succeeded by Hamzah Zainudin during the RESET Malaysia Convention. He is a member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), a component party of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition. He has served as the 2nd Chairman of PN since February 2026 and the Vice President of PAS since June 2019.

Yang Amat Berhormat Dato' Seri Ir. Dr. Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar SSMZ MP MLA
أحمد سمسوري مختار‎
Ahmad Samsuri in 2023
15th Menteri Besar of Terengganu
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 May 2018
Monarch	Mizan Zainal Abidin
Preceded by	Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman
Constituency	Ru Rendang
18th Leader of the Opposition
In office 16 May 2026 – 13 June 2026
Monarch	Ibrahim Iskandar
Prime Minister	Anwar Ibrahim
Preceded by	Hamzah Zainudin
Succeeded by	Hamzah Zainudin
Constituency	Kemaman
Parliamentary offices Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Kemaman Incumbent Assumed office 2 December 2023 Preceded by Che Alias Hamid (PN–PAS) Majority 37,220 (2023) Member of the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly for Ru Rendang Incumbent Assumed office 9 May 2018 Preceded by Abdul Hadi Awang (PR–PAS) Majority 6,028 (2018) 17,826 (2023)
Party offices 2nd Chairman of Perikatan Nasional Incumbent Assumed office 22 February 2026 Deputy Muhyiddin Yassin Dominic Lau Hoe Chai Punithan Paramsiven Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man Preceded by Muhyiddin Yassin 1st Treasurer-General of Perikatan Nasional In office 9 November 2020 – 11 December 2024 Chairman Muhyiddin Yassin Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor Vice President of the Malaysian Islamic Party Incumbent Assumed office 21 June 2019 Serving with Idris Ahmad & Mohd Amar Abdullah President Abdul Hadi Awang Preceded by Iskandar Abdul Samad
Faction represented in Dewan Rakyat
2023–	Perikatan Nasional
Faction represented in the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly
2018–2020	Malaysian Islamic Party
2020–	Perikatan Nasional
Personal details
Born	Ahmad Samsuri bin Mokhtar (1970-11-16) 16 November 1970 Kampung Pulau Panjang, Jerteh, Besut, Terengganu, Malaysia
Citizenship	Malaysia
Party	Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS)
Other party	Gagasan Sejahtera (GS) (2016–2020) Perikatan Nasional (PN) (2020–present)
Education	SMS Sultan Mahmud
Alma mater	National University of Malaysia (BEng) University of Leeds (MSc, PhD)
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Aerospace engineer lecturer
Website	drsamsuri.com

Early life and education

Ahmad Samsuri was born in Jerteh, Besut, Terengganu, Malaysia on 16 November 1970. He went to Sekolah Menengah Sains Sultan Mahmud, Kuala Terengganu from 1983 until 1988. He received BEng (Hons) in Mechanical and Materials Engineering from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 1993, Masters of Science in Combustion and Energy from Centre for Combustion Studies, University of Leeds in 1996, and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) of Aeroengine Ignition and Combustion, High Altitude Engine Failure from School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds in 2001.

Early career

Ahmad Samsuri is an aerospace engineer by profession. Prior to his involvement in politics, he previously worked as a Quality Assurance (QA) engineer for Hitachi Consumer Products in 1993-1994, as a research officer in the Faculty of Engineering, USM in 1994-1995, as the head of department (HOD) of the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, UPM in 2003-2008, where he also served as a lecturer (2001–2006) and an associate professor (2003–2008) for UNISEL.

Ahmad Samsuri received his Professional Engineer (PEng) certificate from Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) in 2024.

Political career

Political secretary to Abdul Hadi Awang (2008–2018)

Ahmad Samsuri served as the political secretary to the President of PAS, Abdul Hadi Awang from 2008 until 2018.

Menteri Besar of Terengganu (since 2018)

When the Menteri Besar and 10 executive councillors (EXCO) was scheduled to be sworn-in before the Sultan of Terengganu, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, PAS Terengganu State Commissioner Husain Awang declined to name the incoming Menteri Besar and EXCO members. On the contrary, Ahmad Samsuri remarked that the media would find out after the swearing-in ceremony which could take up to two hours. Earlier it was reported that PAS had submitted three names as candidates to be appointed as the Menteri Besar including Samsuri. The rumours of Ahmad Samsuri's name, who was the Political Secretary to the President of PAS, Abdul Hadi Awang since 2008, being one of the names submitted had been raging among the party's leadership. Ahmad Samsuri, who is also a former Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) lecturer and selected aerospace specialist, being selected amongst the candidates for Menteri Besar is part of the party's efforts to showcase new leadership generation in the state by mobilizing technocrats and scholars. He succeeded Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman as Menteri Besar after PAS won a two-thirds majority in the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly in the 2018 Terengganu state election, which enabled PAS to form the state government. Ahmad Samsuri had sworn in as Menteri Besar for the second term on 15 August 2023. In December 2022, Ahmad Samsuri was criticized for flying to New Zealand when his state was hit by floods.

Member of Parliament for Kemaman (since 2023)

Following the disqualification of Che Alias Hamid as the MP for Kemaman on 26 September 2023 and his decision against filing an appeal, the Kemaman by-election was triggered. Ahmad Samsuri instead of Che Alias was nominated by PN to contest for the seat. He won the seat and was elected the MP for Kemaman by defeating former Chief of Defence Forces Raja Mohamed Affandi of BN by a majority of 37,220 votes, which is a significantly increased majority, but lower turnout compared to the one garnered by Che Alias in the 2022 general election. Ahmad Samsuri described his landslide victory as having paved the way for PN to the Putrajaya, which is the administrative capital of the nation.

Opposition Leader (2026)

Dr. Ahmad Samsuri made national history as the shortest-serving Leader of the Opposition. Appointed on 16 May 2026, his tenure was terminated on 13 June 2026, lasting a mere 28 days. Throughout this brief period, he did not attend a single parliamentary session, and consequently, never formally occupied the Opposition Leader's seat in the Dewan Rakyat.

His removal from office was announced during a live broadcast by PAS President, Abdul Hadi Awang . As a result of the sudden decision, Dr. Ahmad Samsuri never assumed his official duties as Opposition Leader, nor did he have the opportunity to debate or face the 10th Prime Minister (PMX), Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Election results

Parliament of Malaysia

Year	Constituency	Candidate		Votes	Pct	Opponent(s)		Votes	Pct	Ballots cast	Majority	Turnout
2023	P040 Kemaman		Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar (PAS)	64,998	70.06%		Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor (BN)	27,798	29.94%	92,776	37,220	65.76%

Terengganu State Legislative Assembly

Year	Constituency	Candidate		Votes	Pct	Opponent(s)		Votes	Pct	Ballots cast	Majority	Turnout
2018	N19 Ru Rendang		Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar (PAS)	13,851	61.83%		Nik Dir Nik Wan Ku (UMNO)	7,823	34.92%	22,728	6,028	87.40%
							Zarawi Sulong (AMANAH)	729	3.25%
2023			Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar (PAS)	20,927	85.18%		Suhaimi Sulaiman (AMANAH)	3,641	14.82%	24,773	17,286	75.37%

Honours and awards

Honours of Malaysia

• Malaysia
  • Recipient of the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (2024)
• Terengganu
  • Knight Grand Companion of the Order of Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu (SSMZ) – Dato' Seri (2019)
  • Recipient of Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Silver Jubilee Medal (2023)
• Kedah
  • Recipient of the Sultan Sallehuddin Installation Medal (2018)

Academic awards and professional certificate

• Anugerah Penyelidik Cemerlang, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 2005
• Anugerah Pencapaian Khas, Federal Agency for Industry (ROSPROM), Russian Federation: 54th World Exhibition of Innovation. *Research & NewTechnologies, Brussels, 2005
• Pingat Emas, 54th World Exhibition of Innovation. Research & New Technologies, Brussels, 2005
• Anugerah Khidmat Cemerlang, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 2003
• Anugerah Khidmat Cemerlang, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 2004
• Professional Engineer, Board of Engineers Malaysia, 2024