The royal families of Malaysia have announced plans to replace their 49-year-old ruler who abdicated this morning.
King Sultan Muhammad V, 49, stepped down as King of Malaysia on Monday after just two years on the throne – the first time such an abdication has taken place in the country’s history.
Keeper of the Ruler’s Seal, Syed Danial Syed Ahmad, announced on Monday the Council of Rulers held a meeting and set a date of January 24 to elect a new king.
Mr Ahmad also said in a statement Monday that the new king would be sworn in on January 31.
King Sultan Muhammad V’s abdication is the first time a king has abdicated in the Muslim-majority country since independence
Oksana Voevodina, 25, (right) married Malaysia’s King Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan (left), 49, in a lavish royal wedding ceremony in Moscow on November 22
Sultan Muhammad V, ruler of northeast Kelantan state, was installed in December 2016 as one of Malaysia’s youngest constitutional monarchs.
He married former Miss Moscow Oksana Voevodina, 25, in a lavish ceremony in November after she reportedly converted to Islam to be with him.
She left her modelling days behind her, which saw her take part in a reality TV show during which she appeared to have sex with another contestant in a swimming pool.
Russian newspaper Komosomolskaya Pravda reported that the ex-beauty queen was holding a champagne glass as she allegedly ‘surprised the participants of a reality show by having sex on her first date’.
No reason was given for Sultan Muhammad cutting short his five-year term.
Former Miss Moscow Oksana Voevodina, 25, married King Sultan Muhammad V in a lavish ceremony in November
The 25-year-old doctor’s daughter (pictured) who won the title of Miss Moscow in 2015, has worked previously as a model in China and Thailand
Oksana Voevodina is pictured on a reality TV show in a steamy embrace with another contestant
Under a unique system maintained since Malaysia’s independence from Britain in 1957, nine hereditary state rulers take turns as king for five-year terms.
In a statement, the palace said simply: ‘The National Palace informs that his majesty has resigned as the 15th king effective January 6.’
Ms Voevodina, a doctor’s daughter, who won the title of Miss Moscow in 2015, has worked previously as a model in China and Thailand.
The Malaysian first lady took the Muslim name Rihana and a picture of her in a hijab was posted on Twitter (with former King, left)
She is 24 years younger than her new husband, who she married in Moscow late last year.
The ceremony took place on November 22 in a concert hall in the upscale Moscow suburb of Barvikha, reported Islam News.
The wedding was alcohol free and all food was halal. The king was dressed in Malaysian national clothes, and the bride wore a white wedding dress.
She took the Muslim name Rihana and a picture of her in a hijab was posted on Twitter.
The glamorous beauty queen is believed to have jetted off to a fertility clinic in Germany soon after they married.
Sources close to the couple claimed they were ‘very much concerned’ about having children.
There had been a question mark over the reign of the king since his leave of absence ‘for medical treatment’ in November.
Reports then circulated online that he had married a former Miss Moscow in Russia – although royal officials in Malaysia have so far not commented.
Speculation intensified about his future this week when the country’s Islamic royals reportedly held a special meeting.
The couple’s wedding (pictured) was alcohol free and all food was halal. The king was dressed in Malaysian national clothes, and the bride wore a white wedding dress
They reportedly met 18 months ago, while Ms Voevodina worked as a model promoting luxury watches in Europe
Sultan Muhammad V (right), preparing to deliver his address during the opening ceremony of the parliament in Kuala Lumpur in July this year