Sultan Ibrahim, the wealthy and outspoken ruler of Malaysia’s southern Johor state, was sworn in as the country’s new king in a ceremony on Wednesday.
He will serve for five years as part of Malaysia’s unique system of rotational monarchy, in which the heads of the country’s nine royal families take turns to be king for a five-year reign.
Sultan Ibrahim, 65, succeeds Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who is returning to lead his home state of Pahang after completing his five-year tenure as king.
The monarchy plays a mostly ceremonial role in Malaysia, but its influence has grown in recent years, prompting the king to wield rarely-used discretionary powers to quell political instability.
