Opposition chooses Anwar as new Opposition Leader

The Star,
By ELIZABETH LOOI

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR whip Azmin Ali (PKR – Gombak) submitted a letter to Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia at 4pm Wednesday that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is chosen to be the new Opposition Leader.

The letter was signed by Azmin as PKR whip, Dr Tan Seng Giaw as DAP whip and Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, president of PAS.

The Dewan would be announcing Anwar, who has just won the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, as the new Opposition Leader on Thursday, after he is sworn in. [more]

Anwar to take oath as Malaysian MP

Al Jazeera

Malaysia’s opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, is set to be sworn in as a member of parliament two days after a landslide by-election win marked his return to mainstream politics.

Anwar, a member of the Keadilan (Justice) party, won a decisive victory on Tuesday in a contest for Permatang Pauh, a constituency in his northern home state of Penang.

Pandikar Amin Mulia, the speaker of Malaysia’s lower house of parliament, said Anwar will be formally sworn in as legislator on Thursday.

This will allow Anwar, a former deputy prime minister and finance minister, to attend the tabling of the annual budget in parliament on Friday by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Malaysia’s prime minister.

His return to mainstream politics after a decade is expected to boost the opposition voice in parliament led by a loose coalition known as Pakatan Rakyat, or People’s Alliance. [more]

EC: Speaker will have to notify us first

By MAZWIN NIK ANIS, Star online

PUTRAJAYA: The Election Commission will have to be notified by the Dewan Rakyat Speaker on the vacancy of the Permatang Pauh parliament seat before it can call for a by-election.

Its chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said the procedure was for the Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia to declare the seat as vacant and decide whether the vacancy should be filled.

“Once he has decided on it, the Speaker will inform the Election Commission. We will then call for a meeting to determine the appropriate date for the by-election to be held and to discuss on other matters,” he said Thursday.

PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has quit as Permatang Pauh MP to make way for her husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to contest in a by-election.

She handed her resignation letter to Pandikar Amin yesterday but said that she would remain as party president.

Abdul Rashid said a by-election should be held within 60 days after a seat has been declared vacant, adding it was the commission’s responsibility to ensure the smooth running of the election.

“We will consider all aspects to ensure the by-election is held smoothly, including the fact that it is soon going to be the fasting month,” he said [more]

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