Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia prime minister-in-waiting, has reiterated his confidence that he will be the country's next in line.

Furthermore, he told Bloomberg that he expects to take power around May 2020.

Speaking to Bloomberg on Sep. 18, Anwar, 72, said that he wasn't going to be "too petty about the exact month".

"But there is this understanding that (Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad) will resign and that I should assume it."

No other names

Anwar also dismissed the suggestion that either Minister of Economic Affairs Azmin Ali, or Mahathir's son Mukhriz Mahathir would be contenders for the role.

"There’s no sign of any party introducing or promoting or lobbying for other names," said Anwar while conceding that this would not stop "individuals with ambition with their own design."

"This to me is quite irrelevant. Whether it has been discussed, whether it has been given legitimacy, the answer is no."

War of words with Azmin

Anwar had earlier this year found himself in a war of words with his Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy Azmin over gay sex videos that allegedly featured the latter.

Anwar's political secretary was initially detained over the leaked videos but later released.

The scandal added to speculation since Pakatan Harapan's shock 2018 election victory that Anwar would not actually take over from Mahathir.

According to The Straits Times, Mahathir had reaffirmed his commitment to handing power over to Anwar amidst the scandal in July this year.

Despite this, the 94-year-old prime minister has never put a definite date on when he will step aside apart from the vague timeline of two to three years.

Backlash from Malay Muslims

Meanwhile, the ruling coalition has continued to struggle to retain the support of Malaysia's Malay Muslim population.

Backlash from the country's majority ethnic group has seen Pakatan Harapan renege on election promises to ratify international treaties on anti-discrimination and crimes against humanity, according to Bloomberg.

Anwar told Bloomberg that the administration would work on allaying the fears and concerns of ethnic Malays, while also ensuring the fair distribution of wealth and fighting corruption.

He noted the vital role of affirmative action in aiding all races to escape poverty.

Top image from Anwar Ibrahim's Facebook page