Malaysia has a special monarchy system. The king rules the country for five years at a time.
The 65-year-old Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar was named late on Tuesday Finnish time as the 17th king of Malaysia.
The new king was sworn in at a solemn ceremony at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur.
Sultan Ibrahim, of Malaysian British descent, hails from the Malaysian state of Johor and is part of the Johor royal family.
Rich motorcycle king
News agency Bloomberg estimates that the assets of Sultan Ibrahim and his family are worth at least $5.7 billion. The family is known to have invested in the country’s palm oil, real estate and telecommunications companies, among others.
Ibrahim studied in the United States and has six children and six grandchildren.
The new king of Malaysia is known for his motorcycle hobby. Sultan Ibrahim has made several charity trips around the state of Johor on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
In addition, Ibrahim plays polo and tennis. His favorite sports also include sailing, competitive shooting and skydiving, the king’s life story reveals. South China Morning Post – magazine, the new king has a large collection of luxury and sports cars.
Sultan Ibrahim is an officer in the army, navy and air force. In Johor, Ibrahim commands a small private army.
Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy
Malaysia has a special monarchy system. The country has nine royal families that rule the country in turn. The king’s bath lasts five years.
In Muslim-majority Malaysia, the king plays a mostly ceremonial role.
The king makes political appointments, acts as religious leader and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
The royal families elected Sultan Ibrahim as the new king in December.
The last time the Sultan of Johor State became king was 39 years ago when Sultan Ibrahim’s father, Sultan Iskandar proclaimed the eighth king of Malaysia in 1984.
The new king has been described as outspoken. He has openly shared his political opinions and talked about rampant corruption in Malaysia.
With Ibrahim is said to be close relations with the country’s prime minister to Anwar Ibrahim.
The power of the monarchy is growing
Unlike in Europe, in Malaysia, the importance of the king in politics has grown in recent years, as the country’s political situation has become increasingly unstable.
Royal “intervention” has been needed, for example, to name prime ministers. The country’s governments have changed a lot in recent years and the former king Abdullah al-Haj appointed a new prime minister three times during his tenure.
of Singapore of The Straits Times in an interview in December, Sultan Ibrahim said that he is not going to be just a “puppet king”.
– I support the government, but if I think they are doing something wrong, I will tell them about it, Ibrahim said.
The king is respected in the Muslim-majority country. You can even go to jail for criticizing the king.
Sources: AFP, Reuters