ANWAR CONFIDENT OPPOSITION WILL DENY RULING COALITION A TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY

AP - ONLY massive election fraud would prevent Malaysia's opposition from denying the ruling coalition a two-thirds majority in upcoming general elections, Malaysia's former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday.

'The support for the opposition, particularly the rise in the last two weeks, is phenomenal,' Mr Anwar, leader of the opposition People's Justice Party, told reporters in Singapore, where he earlier spoke at a risk management conference.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's National Front coalition is expected to easily return to power in Saturday's vote, but politicians are waging intense battles over key parliamentary seats that could determine whether the coalition retains its overwhelming majority.

The opposition hopes to deny the National Front a two-thirds majority - a symbolic, psychological benchmark because the coalition has won at least that in every election in the past 50 years except in 1969.

The three main opposition parties, including Mr Anwar's, have agreed to field only one candidate in each constituency to avoid splitting the opposition vote.

'It's very difficult, unless you have massive vote rigging, for the ruling coalition ... to have a two-third majority,' Mr Anwar said, citing opinion polls and government intelligence. 'I'm absolutely certain of that.'

Mr Abdullah and other National Front officials have repeatedly voiced confidence that they will retain their two-thirds majority, and say they don't consider Mr Anwar a serious threat. MORE HERE

ANWAR SAYS MORE THAN ONE IN THREE VOTES WILL GO TO OPPOSITION - SINGAPORE: Malaysian former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim is convinced that the opposition can deny the ruling Barisan Nasional a two-thirds majority in the March 8 election.

Anwar rocks Perak, Pak Lah no-show - As campaigning entered the crucial final lap, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim blazed through Perak yesterday to rally voters.

At every stop, large crowds waited for hours to greet the former deputy premier, who started his tour in Tanjung Malim in the morning before making his way up north through Bota, Bidor, Tapah, Gopeng, Sungai Siput and finally Bagan Serai.

The crowds were wooed by his populist messages which included reducing fuel prices, providing free education and the release of the five Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA)election.

By about 7pm, Anwar had arrived at Simpang Pulai, Gopeng, where he was greeted with a hero’s welcome and rapturous chants of reformasi from a racially-mixed crowd of more than 2,000.

Despite spending the entire day on the road, Anwar showed no signs of fatigue and rallied Gopeng voters to back PKR candidates Lee Boon Chye (Gopeng), Chan Ming Kai (Simpang Pulai), Chang Lih Kang (Teja) and PAS candidate Radzi Zainon (Sungai Rapat).

He also launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission for aborting the use of indelible ink at the eleventh hour. He lamented that "phantoms" would now roam on polling day.

"Barisan Nasional is scared of losing. That’s why they aborted the use of indelible ink," said Anwar to loud cries of "betul" (correct) from the crowd.