Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar (left) salutes the guard of honor besides Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jan 31, 2024. (POOL PHOTO VIA AP)

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's Sultan Ibrahim from the southern state of Johor was sworn in as the country's new king on Wednesday, taking the oath of office in a ceremony at the national palace in Kuala Lumpur.

Under a unique system of monarchy, the heads of Malaysia's nine royal families take turns to be the King, known as the "Yang di-Pertuan Agong" every five years

The monarchy plays a mostly ceremonial role in Malaysia, but its influence has grown in recent years, prompting the king to wield rarely-used discretionary powers to quell political instability.

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Under a unique system of monarchy, the heads of Malaysia's nine royal families take turns to be the King, known as the "Yang di-Pertuan Agong" every five years.

Sultan Ibrahim, 65, succeeds Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who is returning to lead his home state of Pahang after completing his five-year tenure as king.

Sultan Ibrahim has wide-ranging business interests from real estate to mining.