Anwar in bid to lead "Malaysian spring" Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has moved to relaunch his political career with calls for early elections and comprehensive economic reforms, only days after being acquitted by the High Court on charges of sodomy. Citing democratic revolts in the Middle East and the Occupy Wall Street movement, Mr Anwar said a "Malaysian spring" was already under way in his country and that his opposition movement would win power in any fair forthcoming poll. Mr Anwar served as Malaysia's deputy prime minister and finance minister during the 1990s, before being jailed for six years on similar sexual charges in 1999. The conviction was overturned in 2004. He has since headed a multi-party opposition movement and won admirers in the west by advocating greater economic openness and ethnic co-operation. In an interview with the Financial Times in Mumbai, where he travelled to attend a conference immediately following his acquittal on Monday, Mr Anwar suggested that worsening global economic conditions could prompt prime minister Najib Razak to call a snap poll between March and June this year. Mr Anwar raised questions about the fairness of this poll, warning of "electoral fraud" and accusing the government of failing to deliver electoral and media reform. He called for fair access to state media outlets for all political parties. He also called for the abolition of Malaysia's long-standing system of ethnic preferences, which benefits Malays at the expense of the minority ethnic Chinese and Indian population. Mr Najib has also sought to ease this policy, first introduced by his father when he was prime minister, during his time in office. Mr Najib, who has been in power since 2009, increased speculation about an early election by attacking Mr Anwar in a forthright speech in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. The prime minister argued that Monday's acquittal demonstrated Malaysia's judicial independence and left the electorate with "a clear choice to make." March 2013 is the latest a poll can be held under Malaysia's parliamentary system. Mr Najib also questioned the viability of Mr Anwar's opposition movement, which brings together liberal, ethnic Chinese and Islamist parties. He labelled Mr Anwar as "a man who can barely hold his own coalition together." Following his return to Malaysia on Thursday night Mr Anwar said he planned to meet with opposition leaders to begin drafting a "radical" election manifesto. He said this would "not compromise" on economic reforms, arguing that "corruption and cronyism" under the current government had seen Malaysia recently lose out to rival emerging Asian economies, such as Thailand and Vietnam. He called for measures to regain competitiveness and open up Malaysia's economy to foreign investors, including greater privatisation and an end to government monopolies and subsidies in sectors such as auto manufacturing and sugar production. A Malaysian government spokesperson dismissed the remarks, saying: "With unemployment falling, wages rising and foreign direct investment reaching record levels, the prime minister's economic reforms are already benefiting all Malaysians regardless of race, religion or political affiliation." He also noted that the government was reforming media and censorship laws and introducing measures to tackle corruption, including special corruption courts.