Countdown to September 16
In a roller-coaster political career, Anwar Ibrahim was sacked a decade ago as deputy premier and jailed for six years before returning to the political stage as Malaysian opposition leader.
In a roller-coaster political career, Anwar Ibrahim was sacked a decade ago as deputy premier and jailed for six years before returning to the political stage as Malaysian opposition leader.
Here is a chronology of recent political events that have led to his statement today that he has secured the support of enough government lawmakers to form a new administration.
September 1998: Anwar Ibrahim, then deputy to prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, is sacked and slapped with sodomy and corruption charges that he said were politically motivated.
April 1999: Found guilty of corruption and sentenced to six years in jail.
August 2000: Found guilty of sodomy and sentenced to nine years in prison.
September 2004: Released after Malaysia's highest court overturns sodomy conviction.
March 2008: Leads a resurgent opposition to stunning victories in general elections, seizing five states and a third of parliamentary seats
Soon after he outlines a plan to seize power from the ruling coalition with the help of defecting government lawmakers.
April 2008: Ban on holding public office, relating to his corruption conviction, expires.
June 2008: Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, a 23-year-old who was a volunteer at his office, lodges a police report claiming Anwar sodomised him.
July 10: Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi heads off calls to resign by saying he will hand over to his deputy Najib Razak in mid-2010.
July 16: Anwar arrested amid a tussle over fixing a date for police interrogation, and spends night in custody before being released.
July 31: Announces he will contest parliamentary by-election for the Permatang Pauh constituency in his home state of Penang, after his wife resigns the seat to make way for him.
Aug 7: Anwar is charged with sodomy, an offence that carries a penalty of 20 years imprisonment. Says he is still on track to seize power by Sept 16.
Aug 26: Wins a landslide by-election victory.
Aug 28: Sworn in to parliament and declared leader of the opposition.
Sept 5: Abdullah vows to thwart Anwar's plan to seize power.
Sept 8: Government sends dozens of its parliamentarians on a 'study tour' to Taiwan in an apparent bid to prevent them from switching sides.
Sept 10: In a sign of cracks in the ruling coalition, Trade Minister Muhyiddin Yassin urges Abdullah to consider stepping down before mid-2010.
Sept 12: An opposition politician, a prominent blogger and a journalist are arrested under draconian internal security laws, triggering widespread criticism even from within the cabinet.
Sept 15: Anwar says he he has enough support to topple the government and wants to meet with Abdullah to discuss a handover.
Sept 16: Abdullah says the opposition's claims are "mere dreams" and rules out resigning.
Anwar says he has in excess of 31 government defectors and call on Abdullah not to implement emergency rule to thwart a takeover.
Videos
Watch 5-min video of Anwar's press conference
Watch 46-min video of Anwar's Sept 15 speech in Kelana Jaya
Related reportsQ&A: Cabinet ministers among defectors'
Sept 16 press statement in full
Anwar: We're ready to form new gov't
