Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, president of Malaysian party UMNO and chairman of the Barisan Nasional coalition, said that "many" Members of Parliament from his party and coalition are backing Anwar Ibrahim.

Earlier on Sep. 23, Anwar, the leader of the People's Justice Party (PKR), announced in a press conference that he had a "strong, formidable, convincing" majority to form the next government.

Anwar said he did not wish to reveal the MPs who were backing him or the exact numbers he had, saying that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Malaysia's king, should be the first to know.

Following Anwar's announcement, several Malaysian party leaders came out to deny that they were backing Anwar.

Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, leader of the newly-formed Pejuang party, said he would "wait and see."

The Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) alliance affirmed their support for current Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin of Bersatu.

It is difficult to see where Anwar would get the numbers needed to form a majority in parliament.

Support from UMNO

However, Ahmad Zahid said in a brief statement on Sep. 23 that many UMNO and BN MPs support Anwar, and he respects their position, according to Malaysiakini.

As UMNO declined to enter into a formal ruling coalition with Bersatu's Perikatan Nasional government, Muhyiddin's position hinges on the support of the individual MPs.

"Perikatan Nasional was formed based on the support of individual MPs only," said Ahmad Zahid, according to The Star.

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin has declared that he still remains Malaysia's prime minister.

In a statement on Sep. 23, he said, according to The Star:

"Without going through the process, Anwar's statement is merely a claim. Until proven otherwise, the Perikatan Nasional government is still standing strong and I am the legitimate prime minister."

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Top image from Muhyiddin Yassin and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's Facebook pages.