He hardly seems the perfect candidate for a Muslim-majority democracy. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim spent six years in jail, charged with corruption and sodomy. Earlier this year, he was again slapped with a sex charge when a male former aide accused the 61-year-old politician of rape. But on Aug. 26 Malaysia's most charismatic politician completed a stunning political comeback by winning a parliamentary seat in a by-election in his home state of Penang. "It's a signal that the people are ready for change, and that they believe only Anwar can make that change," says Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia...
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