The opposition prison leader Anwar Ibrahim has urged Malaysian voters to vote for Mahathir Mohamad who is none other than a former prime minister who is also a former political enemy.
The statement was delivered less than 24 hours before the election began in the country.
Prime Minister Najib Razak and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition that has ruled Malaysia for more than six decades are faced with Anwar and Mahathir duets. The two united the voice to end the power of the scandal-trapped nation's leader.
The Najib support coalition faces far greater risks than the previous elections. Some analysts warn of poor performance could trigger an internal revolution against the 64-year-old man.
"I urge you all to join the movement of society to demand change," Anwar said in a statement quoted by Reuters on Tuesday (8/5). Although still serving the term of imprisonment, Anwar during this month was hospitalized. He is languishing behind bars in 2015 for being found guilty of sodomy, while his supporters call the case a political background.
Anwar was first imprisoned after Mahathir fired him from the post of deputy prime minister in 1998. He then embarked on a reform movement with the aim of ending the racially-based and patronage rule of BN.
However, Anwar step dijegal cases of sodomy and imprisonment that has been he continues to argue despite already languished in prison. The two leaders left their disputes in 2016 and agreed to join the ranks to depose Najib.
Anwar, who will be released on June 8, said his partnership with Mahathir is the "biggest concern" of the ruling party.
"Mahathir has proved his tenacity, accepted past restrictions, apologized and sacrificed his time and energy to raise the dignity of the nation and state," Anwar said.