Putrajaya's Council of Elders head Daim Zainuddin said it would be "foolish" to rush the installation of Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister.

He said a transition of power from Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad should be performed "mid-term".

"If you break your promise to the people, they are not going to trust you anymore," he added in an interview with Singapore's Straits Times.

Daim, now a key figure in the new Mahathir-administration, said he had met Anwar and relayed the following: "You all tried how many elections and failed. Whether you like it or not, Mahathir succeeded."

Anwar is expected to be released from prison tomorrow.

On the eve of voting, the PKR de facto leader had urged Malaysians to back Mahathir at the polls.

Previously, Mahathir had promised to allow Anwar to succeed him after two years. However, closer to the election date, Mahathir appeared to have wavered on the timeline.