JUST IN: King of Malaysia abdicates throne. No reason given. 
Malaysia practices a rotational constitutional monarchy system whereby the country’s nine royal rulers take turns being King for five years at a time. Next in line is technically Pahang.
The royal rulers had reportedly held a meeting earlier this month. Speculation has been rife online too that Sultan Muhammad V’s recent marriage is somehow connected to this decision. But this has NOT been commented on by the palace.
The Sultan of Johor’s statement in 2016 said he was offered the position of Agong or King of Malaysia instead of the Sultan of Kelantan. He said he declined it then in order to respect the order. According to that statement, the Sultan of Pahang is next in line.
Context: Malaysian media or journalists are unlikely to confirm any rumours without solid evidence given sensitivity surrounding reports on royalty here and the legislation in place to deal with it.
Sultan Muhammad V stepped down as King before his term was up. He was sworn in in December 2016. He had several years to go.
Malaysia’s Council of Rulers will meet on January 24 to decide on the new King of Malaysia.
The Sultan of Pahang, who is reportedly next in line to be Yang di-Pertuan Agong, was too ill to attend the special meeting held by the royal rulers today after Sultan Muhammad V’s abdication.
Malaysia's police chief warns against speculating about the King: “The police have received reports of several provocative statements made on social media platforms... We will submit the IPs a soon as possible to the Attorney-General’s Chambers" frontdesk.com.my/index.php/2019…
“The proposal, if accepted, would see Tengku Abdullah’s installation as the sixth modern sultan of Pahang on Friday and effectively pave the way for his election as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, based on the rotation system.” nst.com.my/news/nation/20…
