GEORGE TOWN: The DAP will continue to back PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the parliamentary opposition leader regardless of how many MPs remained with the party, DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said.

"DAP will not bargain on this matter and it is our principled position that this equation will never change, for as long as I am the DAP secretary-general," he told a press conference.

"Anwar will remain the opposition leader and Pakatan Rakyat's choice as prime minister even if PKR loses its margin of seats and the other parties in PR have more seats than PKR."

The 222-seat parliament currently comprises 137 Barisan Nasional (BN) representatives, 80 from PR and five independents. BN requires 11 seats more to regain a two-thirds majority with 148 MPs.

Lim said DAP and PR would remain with Anwar and support him fully as he faced political persecution and challenges, especially the sodomy charge in court.

"We will stand by him at all times," Lim said.

Meanwhile, Penang PKR chief Mansor Othman predicted at least five MPs would leave the party for fear of finding no room for their personal ambition in the party in the future.

"A few thousand are joining the party every month, so a few leaving makes no difference to us. It is not a critical number," he said in Bayan Baru today.

Mansor said in recent days he had chaired meetings of PKR branches at Nibong Tebal, Bayan Baru and Jelutong that were once helmed by MPs Tan Tee Beng and Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim.

"There has been strong support for PR as evidenced by the numbers at our ceramahs," he said.