Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says he is still on track to take power, despite being formally charged with sodomy.
Anwartold reporters in Kuala Lumpur Friday that he is close to convincingenough lawmakers in the ruling National Front coalition to defect tohis three-party opposition coalition by mid-September.
The National Front has a 30-seat parliamentary majority after losing its two-thirds majority control in March elections.
Theformer deputy prime minister pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges hehad sexual relations with a former male aide in June. The judgegranted him bail, allowing him to campaign in an August 26 by-electionfor his old parliamentary seat in northern Penang state.
He faces a 20-year prison sentence if convicted.
Anwaris urging prosecutors to drop the charges, saying he has already "gonethrough hell" when similar charges were brought against him a decadeago.
He was forced out of the government in 1998 amidaccusations of sodomy and corruption. He spent six years in jail, butwas released in 2004 after a court threw out the sodomy charge. Anwarhas accused Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of personallyorchestrating the case to destroy his political career.