Malaysia 's royal families have elected the powerful and wealthy ruler of southern Johor state as the country's new king under a unique rotating monarchy system, the palace said .

• Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, 64, will ascend to the throne on Jan. 31 for a five-year term.
• His election had been widely expected, as the ruler of Johor state bordering Singapore was next in line based on a rotation order established among the country’s nine state rulers.
• He succeeds incumbent Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah of central Pahang, who presided over a tumultuous period that included COVID-19 lockdowns and political instability that has seen four prime ministers since 2018 general elections.
• Nine ethnic Malay state rulers take turns serving as Malaysia’s king for five-year terms under the world’s only such system, which has been maintained since the country’s independence from Britain in 1957.