Anwar Ibrahim has confirmed that he will be running for the PKR presidency in the coming party polls.

In a statement, the de facto  Pakatan Harapan leader said he made the decision after discussing the matter with his wife and current party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. 

This, he said, was also in view of calls for him to take over from Wan Azizah, who has helmed the party for almost two decades following his ouster from government and subsequent incarceration by then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said he took into consideration Wan Azizah's service, as she had guided the party through many trials and tribulations since 1999, and even after he opted to pull out of the party presidency race in 2007 when Registrar of Societies had then threatened to deregister PKR should he contest.

"The perseverance of the president, deputy president, (PKR) leadership and grassroots, added to that the resolve of the rakyat, saw us make history in leading (then) Pakatan Rakyat with Wan Azizah denying a two-thirds (majority) to Umno-BN in GE12, winning the popular vote of more than 51 percent in GE13, and stepping into Putrajaya as the largest Pakatan Harapan component party after May 9, 2018.

"Therefore, upon discussion with Wan Azizah, the deputy president (Mohamed Azmin Ali) and the party leadership, as well as after taking into account some of the views on, and the requirements for PKR's continuity, and taking into account the iltizam bil jamaah (commitment to principles of the group), I offer myself to contest the role of PKR president," he said in a statement.

Party polls will be held by the end of August, while nominations will be on July 29.

Wan Azizah had previously stated that she will make way for her husband should he opt to run for the presidency.

She had also denied rumours of the existence of warring factions within PKR between her and her husband.

Wan Azizah is also currently deputy prime minister, but will reportedly step down once Anwar takes over the premiership from Mahathir, in a deal reached prior to the 14th general election.