KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s sultans are scheduled to meet on Friday to elect the country’s next king from amongst themselves, state news agency Bernama reported on Thursday.
The Office of the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal, which handles the affairs of the sultans, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Southeast Asian country is a parliamentary democracy, with the monarch serving as the head of state.
Malaysia has a unique system in which the heads of the country’s nine royal families take turns to be monarch for a five-year term.
The king plays a largely ceremonial role and has a few discretionary powers, but the monarchy has become more influential in recent years amid a prolonged period of political uncertainty.
(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Martin Petty)
