KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 — PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he considers himself to have been betrayed today.

In a Facebook Live broadcast, Anwar said that while no official announcement will be made tonight, he was informed that the treachery was complete.

"We were shocked today by developments that, to me, were a betrayal because promises were made,” he said.

The PKR president also joked with attendees of the prayer session at his home that while he might not be the country’s eighth prime minister, he might still be its ninth.

Speculation erupted today that Bersatu, Umno, PAS, Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Parti Warisan Sabah will form a new coalition government with the PKR faction aligned with Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.

The presidents of all five parties as well as Azmin were also granted an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong this evening.

However, an aide to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad told the press that the prime minister is not scheduled to make any announcement tonight.

On Friday, Pakatan Harapan convened an increasingly rare meeting of its presidential council that was meant to fix a date for Dr Mahathir’s departure as the prime minister.

However, the event ended in a stalemate after Dr Mahathir’s party threatened to withdraw from the coalition unless he is allowed to choose when he will relinquish the position.

Media personnel waiting outside Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s house in Segambut February 23, 2020. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri