Opposition Leader Won’t Seek Office

Jailed former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim decided not to run in elections Nov. 29, dealing a setback to the opposition. But the four-party opposition for the first time closed ranks behind common candidates to boost their chances against candidates from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s coalition. “Anwar feels that it is not worth it [to run] because he will be disqualified,” lawyer Zainur Zakaria said. The opposition coalition had chosen Anwar to succeed Mahathir if the parties pulled off a major upset. Anwar is serving a six-year jail term for abuse of power.