KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar appointed Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim as the Regent of Johor today.

The sultan made the announcement when opening the Johor state assembly meeting in Kota Iskandar this morning.

"I appoint the Crown Prince as the Regent from today; I wish to rest a while, thank you,” he was quoted as saying by national news agency Bernama.

The sultan did not state how long the regency would last.

The crown prince previously assumed the role in 2019.

In apparent preparation of this move, Tunku Ismail announced last week that he was relinquishing control of the Johor Darul Ta’zim Football Club to focus on his other commitments.