AKIPRESS.COM - Malaysia has elected Sultan Abdullah of Pahang as its new king after the shock abdication of the previous monarch, BBC reports.

Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan abdicated in January after just two years on the throne, a first in Malaysian history.

Malaysia has an unusual constitutional monarchy, where the top job rotates between nine hereditary state rulers every five years.

The king, known as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, is largely ceremonial and does not participate in daily governance.

The Sultan of Pahang - a large state in Peninsular Malaysia - is expected to be sworn into his new role on 31 January.

He was only sworn in as Sultan of Pahang earlier this month.