Malaysia’s Ruling Families Vote for a New King

 

Malaysia’s national news agency [Bernama] reported Monday that the nation’s ruling families have agreed to vote for a new king.

King Muhammed V served as Malaysia’s largely ceremonial chief of state until he unexpectedly resigned on Sunday. The vote on his replacement¹ reportedly will take place on January 24.

The king resigned after being in power for just two years. This is the first time one of Malaysia’s kings has stepped down before completing a five-year term.

No reason was given for the resignation².

The 49-year-old leader had only just returned to his official duties last week after spending two months on medical leave.

Images reportedly showing him getting married in Russia appeared on social media in December. Posts identified his new wife as Oksana Voevodina, who won a Miss Moscow beauty competition in 2015.

Officials working for King Muhammad have yet to answer requests for comment on the pictures or reports of a marriage.

Media has also reported tension between the king and the government of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Mahathir, who served as Malaysia’s prime minister from 1981 to 2003, returned to power last year.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy³, where the king’s duties are largely ceremonial and the rest of government operates independently. The king's duties include acting⁴ as protector of Islam in the Muslim-majority country. The king’s approval is needed for the appointment of a prime minister and other top officials.

Malaysia’s nine royal families take turns to provide a king, who is chosen through a vote in a Council of Rulers. This group is made up of the nine households, most of which are led by a sultan.

A vote must be held within four weeks of a king leaving office.

Heads of six of the nine households met on Monday at the national palace to decide a date for the election of a new king.

The council agreed that a new king would be elected on January 24. That person would then officially take power on January 31, the council said in a statement.

One sultan could not attend the meeting Monday because he was unwell, while another was outside the country, the council said. The third sultan who was not present was King Muhammad.

Earlier on Monday, Mahathir said the government hoped the council would elect a new king as soon as possible. He added that the government needed to keep the king informed of “certain matters”, Bernama reported.

Mahathir led the opposition⁵ to a historic⁶ election win in May, defeating a group that had governed Malaysia for 60 years.

Words in This Story

king – n. a male ruler of a country who usually is given their position after the person in it before them dies, and rules for life

social media – n. forms of electronic communication, such as Web sites, through which people create online communities to share information, ideas, and personal messages

post(s) – n. a piece of writing, image, or other item of content published online, typically on a blog or social media website

constitutional monarchy – n. a system of government in which a country is ruled by a king and queen whose power is limited by a constitution

palace – n. the official home of a king, queen, president

1 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

2 resignation   

n.放弃，辞职，反抗

参考例句：

• He handed in his resignation right after the cabinet meeting.内阁会议一开完，他就提出了辞呈。
• They asked for his resignation with one voice.他们一致要求他辞职。

3 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

4 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。