Bangkok (People's Daily) –The Sultan of Pahang, Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin, was sworn in as Malaysia's 16th King in a ceremony steeped in tradition at the national palace in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) reported.

(Photo: Malaysian National News Agency)

The 59-year-old was elected king last week after a special meeting of the Conference of Rulers. 

The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, 62, who was elected deputy king last week, also took his oath of office.

Malaysian parliament welcomes new king (Video source: AFP)

Abdullah is heavily involved in sports and is a council member of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and a council member of FIFA, the football international governing body. He was the president of the Football Association of Malaysia.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy, with nine sultans, who head their respective states and act as religious leaders, taking turns to serve as king for a five-year term.