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Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says he has enough support in parliament to form a government and become the country’s prime minister.
Anwar, a former finance minister and deputy prime minister who spent nearly 10 years in jail after falling from power in the late 1990s, met the Malaysian king for an hour on Tuesday.
He then told a press conference that he had the support of more than 120 lawmakers in the 222-member parliament.
The announcement comes amid a turbulent year for Malaysia, in which the Pakatan Harapan coalition that won a historic election in May 2018 collapsed in February after some disgruntled members joined forces with the opposition.
Anwar, who was Malaysia’s pending prime minister for the second time, accused the then party of then-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and “traitors” in their own camp of plotting to overthrow the government.
Anwar has been in politics since he emerged as a passionate student activist in the 1970s and his alliance turned rivalry with Mahathir has dominated Malaysian politics for years.
The rivalry between Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim has dominated Malaysian politics for decades. [File: Krish Balakrishnan/Department of Information via AFP]
These are some key dates:
August 10, 1947 – Anwar Ibrahim is born in Bukit Mertajam, Penang. Both parents are politicians of the UMNO.
1971 – Anwar founds the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement, known by its Malay acronym ABIM.
1982 – Having been convinced to join UMNO, Anwar is elected to parliament for the first time, representing the Permatang Pauh constituency in his home state of Penang.
1983 – Anwar becomes Minister of Youth and Sports, and under Mahathir he is promoted first to Minister of Education (1986), then Minister of Finance (1991) and Deputy Prime Minister (1993).
1998 – Months of feuds with Mahathir over Malaysia’s handling of the Asian financial crisis culminate in the firing of Anwar and charged with sodomy, a crime in Malaysia, and corruption. Tens of thousands take to the streets in support of Anwar, who is assured of the support of large numbers of Muslim Malays, the country’s largest multicultural ethnic group, to advance his Reformasi movement.
1999 – Anwar seizes the momentum of reform to found the Parti Keadilan Nasional or National Justice Party (KEADILAN), a forerunner of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), or People’s Justice Party. Furthermore, Anwar is convicted and imprisoned on charges that, according to him, were politically motivated.
2003 – Mahathir resigns after 22 years as Prime Minister.
2004-13 – Four years after his release in 2004, Anwar is again accused of sodomy by a male assistant. Anwar says the allegations are aimed at removing him from his position as leader of the opposition, which came close to defeating Najib Razak, another Mahathir protégé, in the controversial 2013 elections.
2015 – Anwar is incarcerated for sodomy for the second time.
2016-17: Mahathir resigns from UMNO amid calls for Najib to resign over a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal at the state fund 1MDB. Mahathir forms a new party, Bersatu, before joining forces with Anwar’s opposition coalition, Pakatan Harapan (PH). He vows to seek a royal pardon for Anwar and hand over the post of prime minister if the coalition succeeds in its attempt to remove Najib and the UMNO-led government.
2018 – Anwar and Mahathir join forces to lead the opposition to an unprecedented victory in the May 9 elections, ending more than 60 years of UMNO rule. In a week, Anwar is pardoned and released.
2019 – Anwar denies allegations of sexually assaulting a former male aide, describing the claims as “politics at its worst.” The case is dropped due to lack of evidence.
2020: Mahathir faces pressure from Anwar’s allies in the coalition to set a date for the handover of power, sources said. Senior Pakatan politicians and losing opposition parties meet at a five-star hotel on February 23 in what is known as the “Sheraton movement.” Anwar blames “our old friends” in Mahathir’s Bersatu and “a small faction of traitors” from his own party.
February 24: Mahathir resigns as Prime Minister.
March 1: The king appoints Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister after meeting with all members of parliament to gather levels of support.
September 23: Anwar says he has enough support in parliament to become prime minister and urges Muhyiddin to resign.
October 13: Anwar meets the king and tells him that he has shared proof of his support with the monarch. He says he has a “formidable” majority and that Muhyiddin should resign.
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