Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia has confirmed that the Anwar Ibrahim is no longer the Permatang Pauh MP.

Pandikar said that the ruling takes effect from March 16, when the Pardons Board declined Anwar's petition for a pardon.

He said that he was only informed of the Pardons Board decision today.

This would mean that the Election Commission will have to call a by-election to fill the vacancy within 60 days.

EC chairperson Abdul Aziz Yusof (left) told Malaysiakini that the EC has received the notice.

"We will meet on this (the Permatang Pauh by-election) next week," he said.

According to Bernama , the EC will decide on the date of the by-election next Wednesay.

Anwar’s family, who made the pardons appeal, has disputed the rejection notice because it did not come from the palace but through an affidavit from a senior federal counsel.

Met today, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali said the party believes the pardon has not been dismissed.

"To date, Anwar’s family has yet to receive any formal letter from the Pardons Board, so we take it that the pardon application is still underway,” he said at the lobby of the state secretariat building.

The family, including Anwar’s wife and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail submitted the pardons application on Feb 24.

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