Malaysia : Prime minister Mahathir Mohamad says Anwar Ibrahim to be given royal pardon.

In the final spin to 48 hours of election drama , Malaysia's 92 years old new prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said that he had set in motion plans for a royal pardon for Anwar Ibrahim – the former ally who was sacked and jailed when Mahathir was previously in power and who could now become his successor .

The king  has indicated he is willing to pardon Anwar immediately. Mahathir told a news conference in Petaling Jaya. “We will begin the .. proper process of obtaining a pardon. This means a full pardon. He should be released immediately when he is pardoned."

The unlikely alliance of Mahathir  and Anwar has been one of the many unusual aspects of this election. When Mahathir was prime minister the first time round, between 1981 to 2003, Anwar was his protege and deputy, tipped for the top job until Mahathir thought he was getting too powerful. After a prosecution for corruption  and sodomy that was widely believed to be politically motivated,  he was jailed in 1999.