PETALING JAYA: The Council of Rulers will meet on Jan 24 to elect the new Yang di-Pertuan Agong and his deputy after Sultan Muhammad V resigned as King on Sunday.
“The Rulers have also decided that a Special Meeting for the swearing-in ceremony for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong will be held on Jan 31” Syed Danial said in a press statement.
The Conference of Rulers held a meeting at the Istana Negara this morning to choose a date for the election for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Six of the nine Sultans were present at the meeting. They were Perlis ruler Tuanku Syed Sirajudin Syed Putra Jamalullail; Terengganu ruler Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin; Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir; Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar; Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzudin Shah; and Sultan of Kedah Sultan Sallehuddin Shah.
They were seen entering the grounds of Istana Negara around 10am, for the meeting that lasted for more than an hour, before they were seen leaving Istana Negara at about 12.25pm.
Sultan Muhammad V had been elected by the Conference of Rulers as King on Dec 13, 2016. His tenure was scheduled to end in 2021.
He was elected as Yang di-Pertuan Agong at a Special Meeting of the Conference of Rulers in October 2016, while Sultan Nazrin Shah, was elected Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Until the Conference of Rulers elects the next Agong, Sultan Nazrin, who is the current Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong, will serve as acting king.
Kelantan Mentri Besar, Datuk Ahmad Yakob said the state government accepted the decision of Sultan Muhammad to step down.
He added that the state government had not received any official notification from Istana Negara on the matter.
“As the mentri besar, I just received informal information on the matter on Sunday night. We accept the decision as it is His Majesty’s right,” he said in Tumpat.
Ahmad said a meeting will be held with state secretary Datuk Nazran Muhammad and the Protocol Unit of the State Secretariat on the next course of action.
He said His Majesty did not mention the matter when he returned to Kelantan to perform the Friday prayers at the Sultan Ismail Petra Mosque in Kubang Kerian.
