New Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia; Longest reigns page updated

The closest I got to the Royal Palace (Istana Negara) in Kuala Lumpur ... © 2004 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth.

The Sultan of Pahang, Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin, was sworn in as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King/Head of state) of Malaysia  in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, today, following his election by the Conference of Rulers last Thursday. At the same time the Sultan of Perak, Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, took the oath following the re-election as Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Deputy King/Head of state).

The previous king, Muhammad V, Sultan of Kelantan, abdicated the throne on 6 January 2019, and the Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong acted as Head of state until today.

The new Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin, b. 30 July 1959, succeeded as Sultan of Pahang as recent as 15 January 2019 following the abdication of his father, Sultan Ahmad. Abdullah has been married to Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Sultan Iskandar, b 5 August 1960, since 6 March 1986. His second wife, since 1993, is named Cik Puan Julia Aisha binti ‘Abdu’llah, b. 1971. His first wife will act as the official consort (titled Raja permaisuri Agong). The Sultan of Pahang has six children by his first wife and three by his second, cf. The Royal Ark. In addition he has also two adopted sons born prior to his children by his first wife.

The new King is described as a huge football fan and a supporter of the English football team Arsenal FC. According to the newspaper The Star, «Sultan Abdullah, who is quite a skilful midfielder in football, is just as adept at hockey, tennis, golf, horse riding, scuba diving, squash and polo».

Today's events in Kuala Lumpur means that I have updated my Longest reigns (current monarchs) page. If nothing happens in the meantime, the website will be updated again in late April when the Emperor of Japan, Akihito, abdicates.

Another abdication in Malaysia, new Sultan of Pahang to become the new King?

The 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Head of State/King) of Malaysia, Muhammad V, Sultan of Kelantan, abdicated on 6 January 2019 and returned to his home state of Kelantan, while the Deputy Head of State, the Sultan of Perak, in accordance with the Constitution stayed in the capital to exercise  the  functions of  the Yang di-pertuan Agong until the Conference of Rulers elected the new King. The election will take place on Thursday 24 January 2019.

Malaysia has a rotation system by which the king is elected for a five-year-period among the 9 rulers. At the time of the abdication, The Straits Times wrote that «[...] the next in line is Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang, 88, followed by Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, 60, and then Sultan Nazrin Shah from Perak, 62. Sultan Ahmad Shah is not in good health and his son has been Regent for two years.»

Since my blog article of 7 January, I haven't really paid enough attention to the news from Malaysia. Today I learnt that the Sultan of Pahang, Ahmad Shah, b. 1930, abdicated the sultanate throne on 15 January 2019 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Abdullah. Ahmad Shah became Sultan of Pahang in 1974 and served as the 7th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia from 1979 to 1984. His son Abdullah, b. 1959, had the role as regent in the meantime.

The Straits Times wrote on 15 January that «The installation of Sultan Abdullah puts him in line to become the next Malaysian constitutional ruler under the rotation system practised by the nine Malay royal houses.» Next Thursday we will know for sure.

Malaysia: New king to be elected on 24 January 2019

Following the abdication of the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Head of State/King) of Malaysia, Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan, yesterday, the Conference of Rulers decided today that the new king would be elected in a special meeting on Thursday 24 January 2019.

According to Thestar.com, the meeting was attended by the rulers from Terengganu, Perlis, Negri Sembilan, Johor, Perak and Kedah. The Sultan of Selangor was abroad, while the Sultan of Pahang felt unwell and therefore stayed home. A special meeting for the swearing-in ceremony for the new Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong will be held on Thursday 31 January 2019.

No official explanation for the king's decision to abdicate has been given, but The Straits Times points to the complaints made by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in June last year, alleging that «Sultan Muhammad had not abided by the rule of law in delaying his installation as Premier and the appointment of a new Attorney-General». The events had caused debate and allegedly damaged the royal institution, something some of the Malay rulers were unhappy about. The final straw was supposedly the King's wedding to a 25-year-old Russian model (Oksana Voevodina, following convertion to Islam renamed Rihana Oxana Gorbatenko) while he was on sick leave last fall.

Longest reigns (current monarchs) page updated

The 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Head of State/King) of Malaysia, Muhammad V, Sultan of Kelantan, abdicated today, 6 January 2019. He took office on 13 December 2016 and had therefore close to 3 years left of his term. As I understand it, the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, as the Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong, will perform the duties of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong until the Conference of Rulers has elected the new king.

My Longest reigns (current monarchs) page has therefore been updated. Obviously the page will soon be updated again after the election has taken place and the new King has taken the oath. The Emperor of Japan, Akihito, has already announced that he will abdicate his throne on 30 April 2019. Hopefully there will be no other changes in the meantime.