KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s sultans are set to meet on Friday to elect a new king from amongst themselves under a unique system in which they take turns to be monarch for a five-year term. The heads of Malaysia’s nine royal families, sultans of nine of its 13 states, take turns to be king for a five-year term. The federal constitution requires the monarch to act upon the advice of the prime minister and cabinet with only a few exceptions. He picked Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister in late 2022 when a general election resulted in a hung parliament. Unlike other sultans, Sultan Ibrahim has been outspoken about politics, and has said he has a good relationship with the prime minister.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer October 27, 2023 21:40 UTC