Anwar Ibrahim takes charge as Malaysia’s new Prime Minister ending post-election deadlock

Asia-Pacific, News November 25, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Malaysia’s 75-year-old politician and veteran opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, became the country’s new prime minister after the inconclusive general elections on November 20, 2022.

With 82 seats in the Malaysian parliament, Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (the alliance of hope) coalition came out on top of the 2022 general elections. Former Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional (National Alliance) won 73 seats. An alliance led by the United Malays National Organization won 30 seats, while many other small political parties and independent candidates won several seats in the parliament. The Malaysian parliament, also known as the Dewan Rakyat, has a total of 222 seats.

None of the major alliances could attain a substantial lead on its own which led to deadlock and post-election negotiations for a coalition government. After days of political deadlock, Anwar Ibrahim was named as the prime minister with the support of 148 parliament members, including those from his coalition party and the United Malays National Organization.

Who is Anwar Ibrahim?

It has been a long bumpy road for Anwar Ibrahim since he entered politics some 40 years ago. He was born in 1947. His father, Ibrahim Abdul Rahman was a former member of parliament and his mother, Che Yan Hussein, was a political organizer in the north Malaysian state of Penang. He spent at least 10 years of his political career in jail on two separate occasions where he was sentenced on charges of monetary corruption and homosexuality. Anwar tasted political triumph and defeat, led street protests for democratic reforms, and advocated for a multi-ethnic opposition coalition while behind bars.

During Mahathir’s tenure, Anwar played an instrumental role in Malaysia’s response to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. His close relationship with Mahathir broke down over the economy and he was removed from his position as deputy prime minister in 1998. Some observers say that Anwar became too impatient to become prime minister which alerted Mahathir and led to his downfall.

In 1999 Anwar faced charges of sodomy and corruption, which he always denied. Homosexuality is criminalized in Muslim-majority Malaysia. It can result in a jail term of up to 20 years. Anwar was sentenced to six years in jail for corruption, with a nine-year prison term added for the sodomy charge the following year.

He was released in late 2004 after his sentence was overturned. He took a break from politics and entered academia. He only returned to politics in 2013 when he became the opposition coalition leader. He was jailed once again in 2015 on the charges of sodomy and gained a royal pardon in 2018 to return to the parliament through by-elections.

^{Malaysia’s newly appointed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail take part in the swearing-in ceremony at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on November 24, 2022. (Image Credit: Mohd Rasfan/Pool via Reuters)}

At his first press conference as the prime minister of Malaysia, Anwar sketched out his plans for the country’s turbulent economy. He said that his first priority would be the cost of living. Anwar said that he would not draw a salary for his time in the office and that his government would “guarantee and safeguard the rights of all Malaysians, especially the marginalized and impoverished, regardless of race or religion”.

Ibrahim also stressed the importance of reform. “We will never compromise on good governance, the anti-corruption drive, judicial independence, and the welfare of ordinary Malaysians,” he said.