KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday (Sept 23) he has secured a "strong majority" from lawmakers in order to form a new government and was seeking an audience with the king to formalise his appointment as prime minister.

Mr Anwar, who will need the king's assent to replace current premier Muhyiddin Yassin, told a news conference his support from lawmakers "means that the administration of Muhyiddin has fallen".

“We have a strong, formidable majority. I’m not talking about four, five, six (seats), I’m talking about much more than that,” said Anwar, who did not give any numbers but said it was close to two thirds of the 222 lawmakers.

“We need a strong stable government to run the country and save the country,” he added.

The Parti Keadilan Rakyat president said the majority of those supporting him are “Malay-Muslim Members of Parliament”.

The Port Dickson parliamentarian claimed that he was supposed to have a meeting with the king, Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, on Tuesday morning but the meeting had to be postponed as the king was receiving treatment at the National Heart Institute.

The opposition leader's claim comes less than seven months after Mr Muhyiddin clinched the premiership following political turmoil that saw the collapse of the previous administration under Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request by Reuters for comment.

Should Mr Muhyiddin get an audience with the king first, he could advise him to dissolve parliament and trigger snap national polls.

Mr Muhyiddin came to power in March after securing a parliamentary majority with the support of the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), which was defeated in the 2018 election.

His opponents have accused him of grabbing power by shifting alliances instead of earning it at the ballot box.

But the premier has a razor-thin majority and there has been speculation he could seek an election to win a stronger mandate.

Mr Anwar, 73, has had a tumultuous political career over the past two decades.

At first a rising star of Malaysian politics, he was jailed for sodomy and corruption after a feud with the government, spending nearly 10 years behind bars on charges that he and his supporters have described as a plot to destroy his political career.

But he was granted a royal pardon in 2018, as part of the deal with Dr Mahathir for him to succeed the premiership.

On Wednesday, Mr Anwar also listed several of the traits that his government will possess if it gets to be formed, which includes being representative but also recognising Malay privileges.

“This government will represent all people, with majority Malay-Bumiputera majority and fair representation of all races in this country,” he said.

“We are committed to uphold the principles of the constitution that recognises the position of Islam, the sovereignty of Malay rulers, to uphold the position of Malay language as the official language, as well as the special position of the Malays and Bumiputera as well as give assurance to defend the rights of all races.”

“I promise to form a government with integrity and commitment to address the crisis that befell the country, and put an end to corruption and fight for the wellbeing of the people,” he added. 

In a tweet on Wednesday minutes after Mr Anwar's surprise announcement, Science and Technology Minister Khairy Jamaluddin wrote: “Just finished the Cabinet meeting. Nothing has fallen or fall down.” 

The Cabinet has its weekly meeting in Putrajaya on Wednesdays.

Mr Khairy included a snapshot of their meeting room at the Prime Minister’s Office. AGENCIES