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Malaysia Formally Installs New King


Malaysia has formally installed a new king in an elaborate ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.

The new monarch, 45-year-old Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, is the country's second-youngest king.

Thursday's formal installation follows last December's swearing in of the monarch.

Sultan Mizan is the hereditary ruler of the oil-and-gas rich state of Terengganu and attended Britain's Sandhurst Military Academy. He will be Malaysia's ceremonial figurehead for five years, under a system that allows the country's nine sultans to take turns as king.

The king signs legislation into law and appoints judges, but real power lies with Malaysia's prime minister. Malay Muslims regard the king as the supreme upholder of tradition and the symbolic head of Islam, Malaysia's official religion.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

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