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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim freed from jail after Mahathir election win | Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim freed from jail after Mahathir election win |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim has been freed from jail, paving the way for his return to politics. | Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim has been freed from jail, paving the way for his return to politics. |
| Once seen as a potential future leader, he had been jailed on charges of sodomy and corruption after falling out with the government. | Once seen as a potential future leader, he had been jailed on charges of sodomy and corruption after falling out with the government. |
| Malaysia's new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad sought a pardon for Mr Anwar, which was granted on Wednesday morning. | Malaysia's new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad sought a pardon for Mr Anwar, which was granted on Wednesday morning. |
| Mr Mahathir has promised to step aside for Mr Anwar to become prime minister within two years. | Mr Mahathir has promised to step aside for Mr Anwar to become prime minister within two years. |
| The politician was jailed for a second time three years ago on what he said were trumped-up sodomy charges. | The politician was jailed for a second time three years ago on what he said were trumped-up sodomy charges. |
| For years he had been heading Malaysia's opposition movement, which has just defeated the former ruling party for the first time in the country's history. | For years he had been heading Malaysia's opposition movement, which has just defeated the former ruling party for the first time in the country's history. |
| Last week's shock election victory followed a reconciliation between Mr Anwar and 92-year old Mr Mahathir, who sacked and jailed him 20 years ago during his first stint as prime minister. | |
| Mr Anwar walked free out of a hospital in the capital Kuala Lumpur where he has been undergoing treatment. | |
| Supporters camped out at the hospital trailed him to the Istana Negara royal palace where he met Mr Mahathir. | |
| "Long live Anwar," supporters on motorbikes yelled as they pull into the royal compound in support of their newly-freed leader. | |
| "He is a symbol of freedom to Malaysians like me," 59-year old Ahmad Samsuddin told the BBC. | |
| "Finally. It feels like the tide of change is turning in Malaysia after so many years of injustice. Today is a historic day with Anwar's release and will get even better." | |
| Extraordinary twists and turns | |
| The story of the relationship Mr Mahathir and Mr Anwar is one of extraordinary twists and turns. | |
| During the 1990s they were political allies, serving as prime minister and deputy respectively. | |
| But Mr Anwar was sacked in 1998 after falling out with his political mentor and as jailed a year later for abuse of power. In 2000 he was convicted of sodomy, and given an additional nine-year-term. | |
| In 2004 his conviction was overturned and he led the opposition to unprecedented gains - though remained short of victory - in the 2008 and 2013 general elections. | |
| One year later when he was heading into a state election he seemed likely to win, he was sent back to jail. | |
| Events took a remarkable turn earlier this year, when his former political enemy Mahathir Mohamad announced he would join forces with the opposition and run for top office once again. | |
| Mr Mahathir said he was sick of the corruption allegations plaguing the incumbent Najib Razak, another of his former allies. | |
| One condition for Mr Mahathir being allowed to lead the coalition was that he agreed to secure a royal pardon for Mr Anwar who remained popular with his supporters. | |
| Mr Mahathir agreed, and further said he intended to hand the prime ministerial post to Mr Anwar within two years. |