The election saw unprecedented gains by a resurgent opposition, led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who formed an alliance to challenge Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's Barisan Nasional coalition.

Abdullah's coalition has ruled Malaysia for more than half a century since the former colony gained independence from Britain but its showing in March was the worst in Barisan Nasional's history.

The Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance claimed more than a third of parliamentary seats and five states in the polls, putting Abdullah under heavy pressure with calls from within his party to quit.

Abdullah was the first one to be sworn in parliament, followed by his deputy Najib Razak and other cabinet ministers.

"I, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, being chosen as a member of parliament, vow to honestly fulfil my obligations with all my strength.

"I pledge my true loyalty to Malaysia and vow to preserve, protect and defend the constitution," Abdullah, who wore a black and gold traditional Malay outfit, said.
King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin will officially open the first session of the 222-member parliament today.

The parliament is set to record history. Ninety-nine MPs will be new faces while the opposition will be represented by 82 MPs, more than four times the number in the last parliament.

Anwar last week confidently predicted he would be prime minister within three years, sketching out the first rough timetable for his political comeback.

Karpal Singh, an opposition MP with the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party said the new parliament would see intense exchanges due to a stronger opposition presence.

"I expect more colour, more exciting debate and definitely the sessions will be more charged since the number of opposition MPs had risen dramatically," he said.