Agence France-Presse - 9/16/2008 6:31 AM GMT
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 Tuesday that he has secured the support of enough government lawmakers to form a new administration.
Sept 1998: Anwar Ibrahim, then deputy to prime minister 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.
August 2000: Found guilty of sodomy and sentenced to nine years in prison.
Sept 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.
-- 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.
August 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 September 16.
August 26: Wins a landslide by-election victory.
August 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.
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