KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14: The Malaysian ex-deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has won a parliamentary seat in the town of Port Dickson,sealing his return to front-line politics.
Overjoyed by the emphtic victory, Mr Anwar said,”This to my mind is an important milestone, a vote of confidence for the government and the reform agenda, and the prime minister personally.”
According to the Election Commission, Mr Anwar received 71 per cent of Saturday’s votes from Port Dickson, where a member of the current coalition stepped down to allow for his accession, reports BBC.
Mr Anwar was seen as Dr Mahathir’s heir but the relationship soured when Mr Anwar was sacked in 1998 after a leadership dispute.
He was convicted of homosexual sodomy and corruption which is widely regarded as politically motivated.
He was freed in 2004, but once again convicted for sodomy in 2015, charges that he said were concocted to destroy his political career.
Mahathir, the world’s oldest leader at 93, has said he expects to be in office for at least two years and will keep his promise to hand over power to Anwar.
Mr Anwar has also insisted that he holds no malice towards his former mentor, who secured his royal pardon.
(UNI)
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