Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim says to meet King next week to prove majority

KUALA LUMPUR  - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday (Oct 8) said he will meet with the country's King next week to present his case for taking over the premiership from Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Anwar said King Al-Sultan Abdullah had agreed to grant him an audience, where he will present documentation "of the strong and convincing majority" of members of parliament backing his claim to the premiership.

“I would like to express my gratitude to His Majesty for granting me an audience to meet on Tuesday, Oct 13, 2020, Insha’Allah,” Anwar said in a statement, using the Arabic term for “God willing”.

Two weeks ago, Anwar declared that he had gathered a “formidable” majority among federal lawmakers to oust Muhyiddin, sparking a fresh bout of political drama in the Southeast Asian country.

Anwar had said he commanded support from close to two-thirds of parliament’s 222 lawmakers, without giving actual numbers or disclosing who had pledged support.

The national palace and the prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on his royal audience.

The latest twist in Malaysia’s protracted power struggle comes after the coronavirus pandemic saw the country’s export-driven economy post its first contraction in the second quarter since the 2009 global financial crisis.