KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — The Istana Negara today announced Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar as the 17th Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, with Perak's Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah as his deputy.

Sultan Ibrahim’s five-year reign as Malaysia’s King will start on January 31 next year, with Sultan Nazrin's term also starting on the same day.

"The Conference of Rulers special meeting today was chaired by the Sultan of Terengganu and attended by all the Rulers except the Raja of Perlis and the Sultan of Kelantan," said Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal Tan Sri Syed Danial Syed Ahmad in a statement after the meeting this morning.

Syed Danial said the announcements were based on the provisions under Paragraph 3, Part One, Third Schedule of the Constitution, where the decision of the Conference of Rulers was submitted to both Houses of Parliament.

"Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also been informed," he said.

Sultan Ibrahim replaces Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah of Pahang who served as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

He ascended the throne as the country's King for five years, starting from January 31, 2019.

Al-Sultan Abdullah's reign has been described as an eventful period as he was witness to the political instability during the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw three prime ministers and the first hung Parliament in the country’s history after the 15th general elections.

This is the first time that the Ruler of Johor has been appointed as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in over three decades.

The late former Johor Ruler, Sultan Iskandar Ismail, was the Agong from 1984 to 1989.

Sultan Ibrahim was previously offered to succeed Kedah's Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah in 2016, but he declined to allow Kelantan's Sultan Muhammad V to take the rotation.

By convention, the selection of Malaysia’s Yang di-Pertuan Agong follows a unique rotational system in which the country’s nine royal households take turns to hold the post since Independence in 1957.