An Islamic opposition party in Malaysia, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia or PAS, says it will support the wife of the sacked deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim should she stand in the forthcoming general elections.

The party's president, Fadzil Mohammad Noor, said that it was not ready to field female candidates itself, but would support Dr Wan Azizah - who has already been campaigning for the opposition, but she says her priority is to get her husband out of jail.

The party also says it is willing to defer its demand for an Islamic state in a bid to construct a common opposition platform.

A BBC correspondent in Kuala Lumpur says the move brings the divided opposition parties closer together but few people expect them to win the election.