He held several ministerial positions before his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister (1993-1998).
In 1998, the American magazine “Newsweek” classified him as the first man in East Asia
In 2008, he founded the “People’s Justice” party, and it was one of the largest opposition parties
In 2022, all charges against him were dropped and he allied again with Mahathir Muhammad
With the appointment of the King of Malaysia, Abdullah Rayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, Thursday, the veteran politician Anwar Ibrahim as the new prime minister, popular support succeeds in transferring the latter from prisons to power.
After many years of waiting under the banner of reform and fighting corruption, Malaysian dissident Ibrahim takes over as prime minister, following an agreement he concluded with former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
According to the government agency “Bernama”, the appointment took place after the King discussed with state governors the decision to appoint Anwar as Prime Minister during a special meeting at the King’s residence, “Istana Negara” in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
The agency stated that the submission of the appointment document and the swearing in of the constitution will take place this evening in “Astana Negara”.
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Under a royal pardon, the Malaysian authorities released Anwar, who had been serving a prison sentence since 2015, in May 2018.
Anwar was imprisoned during the first term of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (1981-2003), and at that time he was his deputy.
He was re-imprisoned during the reign of former Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razzaq from 2009 to 2018.
In mid-October 2018, the Elections Commission announced Anwar’s return to Parliament, after winning a seat for Port Dickson in by-elections.
Both times, the charge was “involvement in a moral issue,” while Anwar asserts that the motives behind his imprisonment were always “political.”
A royal pardon guarantees Anwar access to official positions.
Anwar resumed his political life, ran for a seat in Parliament and was elected in October 2018.
** Who is Anwar Ibrahim?
Anwar, also known as “Anwar bin Ibrahim”, was born on August 10, 1947, in the state of “Penang”, located on the northwest coast of the Malaysian Peninsula, and he is the son of politicians.
He held many government positions in the late twentieth century before he was imprisoned on charges of corruption in 1999, and after his release he played a major role in the redistribution of power within the Malaysian legislature.
However, his political career came to a halt again when he was accused of “involvement in a moral issue”, and he was imprisoned between 2015 and 2018.
On March 7, 2015, thousands of Malaysians took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur, demanding his release, and his family petitioned the ruling family for clemency.
** Most prominent political stations
Anwar, 75, began his political career in the late 1960s at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, where he studied sociology, and became known as a student leader, after leading a number of mass demonstrations that took place in Malaysia at the time against corruption.
In 1971, he founded the Muslim Youth Movement in Malaysia, and held the position of its president until 1982.
Despite his criticism of the ruling National Front coalition and its most powerful element, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), in 1982 Anwar accepted an invitation from then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to join the UMNO and his government.
Anwar progressed quickly, as he held the positions of Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports (1983), Agriculture (1984), and Education (1986-1991), before being appointed Minister of Finance (1991-1998) and Deputy Prime Minister (1993-1998).
In 1998, the American magazine “Newsweek” classified Anwar as the number one man in East Asia, as he enjoyed a prestigious position and great popularity inside and outside Malaysia.
On top of Malaysia’s remarkable economic boom during the 1990s, Anwar gained great respect on the political scene around the world. However, during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, he fell out with Mahathir over the implementation of economic recovery measures.
In 2008, he founded the People’s Justice Party, which was one of the largest opposition parties in Malaysia.
The rampant corruption in Malaysia at the hands of former Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak prompted both Mahathir and Anwar to set aside their differences and ally in the 2018 parliamentary elections with the aim of achieving a better future for Malaysians.
Accordingly, Anwar participated with Mahathir in an opposition political alliance called the “Front of Hope” that succeeded in winning the May 9, 2018 parliamentary elections, when he won 113 seats out of a total of 222, which ensured that Mahathir formed a government and returned to the position of prime minister, who had previously He held it over 22 years.
The “Front of Hope” coalition consisted of Anwar’s “People’s Justice” party, along with 3 other parties: the Chinese-dominated “Democratic Action”, the “Opposition and National Trust”, which split from the Islamic Party, and the “Unity of Earthlings”, which it formed. Mahathir, after his defection from the “UMNO” party, the leader of the ruling coalition at the time.
In 2022, all charges against Anwar were dropped, and he allied again with Mahathir, who promised to hand him over power soon.
Mahathir lost his seat in Parliament in the legislative elections held last Saturday.
The reformist coalition, led by Anwar, topped the parliamentary race with 82 seats, while the National Alliance, led by former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, won 73 seats, according to the election commission results.
The two winning coalitions are in talks to form a coalition government, and the decision to form a government requires the approval of at least 112 deputies.
The general elections were scheduled for September 2023, but pressure on Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaqoub from his ruling party led to the dissolution of parliament and the call for early elections.
Parliament’s current term was due to expire in July 2023.
