CHRONOLOGY: Malaysia's tumultuous political drama
(Reuters) - Just two months after being allowed to run for office again, Malaysia's main opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim remained in the Turkish embassy on Monday, seeking refuge from sodomy accusations he says were cooked up by the government.
Anwar's plight is the latest turn in a political drama unfolding in the Southeast Asian nation since upset election results in March shook the ruling National Front coalition's grip on power.
Here is a timeline showing the recent turmoil.
* March 8, 2008: Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's National Front coalition fails to secure a two-thirds majority in parliament in an election upset. It loses five of the 13 states to the opposition in its worst election performance since independence from Britain more than 50 years ago.
* April 1: More than 500 members of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the dominant party in the Front, meet in a Kuala Lumpur hotel to demand that Abdullah resign over the election results. They cheer as former premier Mahathir Mohamad and his son, UMNO lawmaker Mukhriz Mahathir, call for challengers to save the party. Abdullah dismisses the talk.
* April 14: Anwar is eligible to run for political office again following the expiry of a five-year ban on holding political office stemming from his corruption conviction.
* May 16: Government orders chief prosecutor to investigate six people, including Mahathir and two top judges, for possible criminal offences relating to a 2001 judicial scandal after a 186-page official report on the matter is released.
* May 19: Mahathir, who ruled for 22 years (1981-2003) before picking Abdullah as his successor, quits UMNO in a shock move, prompting fears he could split the party.
* June 4: Malaysia raises petrol and diesel prices by 41 percent and diesel by 63 percent to prevent subsidies from eating up a third of its budget. The move sparks widespread anger and stokes inflation already at a 22-month high.
* June 13: Abdullah says he has agreed succession plan with his deputy Najib Razak over leadership change. Two days later he says he will run for party presidency in year-end elections, to calm speculation about any imminent handover.
* June 18: Small Malaysian party says it is tabling no-confidence motion against Abdullah, but it falls through because of lack of support.
* June 23: Abdullah wins parliament backing for fuel price increase.
* June 26: The government shelves some large building projects, and announces plans to spend $9 billion more to boost rice production and ease poverty.
* June 29-30: Accused of sodomy, main opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim seeks refuge in Turkish embassy in almost a repeat of a 1998 scandal which led to the former deputy premier being jailed on charges of sodomy and corruption.
Sources: Reuters
(Writing by Gillian Murdoch, Beijing Editorial Reference Unit; Editing by Bill Tarrant and Sanjeev Miglani)
