Malaysia names new king after abdication

Malaysia has named its new king, weeks after an abdication crisis that involved a Russian beauty queen.

Malaysia has elected a new king on Thursday, less than two weeks after its previous monarch decided to abruptly abdicate the throne.

Sultan Tengku Abdullah, from the state of Pahang, was appointed the new king following a meeting by the country's nine monarchical state rulers.

The king is selected on a rotational basis from one of the nine royal houses in the Malaysian federation, and Sultan Abdullah had been largely expected to be next in line.

The former monarch, Sultan Muhammad V from the state of Kelantan, announced his resignation from the throne on January 6, after having ruled since December 2016.

No official reason was provided by the palace for the sudden abdication - the first in the nation's history - which comes three years short of the stipulated five-year reign.

However, reports and images that have surfaced of the now ex-king's purported marriage to a former Russian beauty queen - which remains unconfirmed by the palace - had sparked concerns that a foreigner might be inaugurated as queen.

Sultan Abdullah is expected to be installed on January 31.


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Source: AAP



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