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Malaysia
This Week in AsiaPolitics

Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim picked as Malaysia’s next king, calls incumbent Sultan Abdullah a symbol of unity

  • The influential ruler will replace Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on January 31 and serve a five-year term
  • The incoming king, whose position is largely ceremonial, commended his predecessor for solving multiple social and political crises

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Sultan Ibrahim Ismail of Johor wipes his tears next to his sister and Malaysia’s Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah after the election for the next king at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Hadi Azmi
Malaysia’s hereditary Malay rulers on Friday picked the influential sultan of Johor, Ibrahim Ismail, as the nation’s next king, or Yang di Pertuan Agong.
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The sultan, 64, known for being one of the most outspoken among the nation’s nine Malay rulers, will succeed the incumbent Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on January 31 and serve a five-year term.

“The Conference of Rulers in its 263rd meeting [today] agreed to promulgate that Sultan Ibrahim of Johor has been picked as the 17th Yang di Pertuan Agong, for a term of five years from Jan. 31, 2024,” said Syed Danial, the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal in a statement. The council met for three days since Wednesday to discuss this and other relevant matters.

Sultan Abdullah, the head of the royal household of Pahang, is Sultan Ibrahim’s brother-in-law. He took over as king in 2019 following the sudden abdication of Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan for personal reasons.

Observers say the role of the Malaysian king has steadily gained political influence, especially during the reign of Sultan Abdullah. The monarch presided over one of the most tumultuous times in the nation’s politics – having seen four prime ministers during his term.

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