Malaysia's Anwar to fight election in wife's seat

The Associated Press ,  Kuala Lumpur   |  Thu, 07/31/2008 3:55 PM  |  World

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's wife resigned her parliamentary seat Thursday to let him contest a by-election aimed at enabling him to regain political office.

The Permatang Pauh constituency in northern Malaysia has been Anwar's stronghold for nearly three decades, making it the easiest seat for him to win in his effort to re-enter Parliament and become prime minister if the opposition seizes power.

Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, said she has tendered her resignation as a lawmaker for Permatang Pauh to make way for Anwar to run in a by-election, which must be held within 60 days.

Wan Azizah retained the Permatang Pauh seat by a landslide in March general elections. Anwar could not run because of a corruption conviction that barred him from holding political office until April this year.

Azizah said the decision was consistent with the opposition's goal to form the next government, stressing that it was "the right decision for Malaysia."

The Election Commission will likely schedule a date for the by-election next week.

Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, voiced confidence of winning and hope that the commission would ensure a free and fair ballot.

"It's my original seat," Anwar told reporters. "It looks very safe. ... I look forward to participate in the deliberations in Parliament and hopefully keep our focus on the economy and be back on track in our efforts to see a new dawn for Malaysia."

Anwar's main obstacle comes from an accusation that he sodomized a 23-year-old man. Anwar insists the accusation by his former aide was concocted to thwart his political moves. The government has denied any conspiracy.

Wan Azizah, a former ophthalmologist, has long been known as a reluctant politician who was thrust into the limelight to campaign for her husband's freedom after his ouster from the Cabinet and arrest on corruption and sodomy charges in 1998.

Anwar was forced by law to vacate the Permatang Pauh seat - which he had held since 1982 - when he was convicted of corruption in 1999. Wan Azizah easily won the constituency in elections later that year.

Anwar received prison sentences totaling 15 years after also being convicted of sodomy, but he was released in 2004 after a court quashed the sodomy conviction.

The ban on him holding political office kept him from contesting the March elections in which his party and two other opposition groups formed an alliance to score unprecedented gains.

The alliance is merely 30 seats short of a majority in the 222-member Parliament, ad Anwar has vowed to seize power through defections by government lawmakers.(**) 

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