Can Anwar Ibrahim be parliamentary opposition leader when his party, PKR, has lost its position as holder of the largest number of seats among opposition parties?

This question has surfaced in the wake of the expulsion of Zulkifli Noordin, MP for Kulim Bandar Baru, from PKR last Saturday for flagrant breaches of party and Pakatan Rakyat etiquette.

The sacking brought to 27 the number of MPs PKR tallies up in Parliament (including one from PSM which ran under PKR banner), down from a table-topping 31 that conferred on Anwar the role of opposition leader, if not by arithmetical logic then by dint of the PKR supremo’s stature as putative leader of the Pakatan coalition.