Malaysian King Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah is in the spotlight as he mulls his choice on who will be the country's next prime minister, after an election left no party with a majority in parliament and coalition talks failed.
Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah smiles outside the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia November 21, 2022. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain
Malaysia has a unique constitutional monarchy in which kings have been chosen in turn from the royal families of nine states, and each reigns for a five-year term. Al-Sultan Abdullah is an avid sportsman, having represented his state in football matches in his younger days. He has served as a member of the FIFA Executive Committee and as president of the Asian Hockey Federation.No. Elections normally determine who will be prime minister in Malaysia under a parliamentary system.
The monarchy has played a more influential role since 2020 amid the decline of the once-dominant Barisan Nasional alliance and its leading party, the United Malays National Organisation . Al-Sultan Abdullah took the unusual step of meeting with all of the country's 222 lawmakers after Mahathir's resignation to determine who had a majority to form a new government, eventually picking former Mahathir ally Muhyiddin Yassin.
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