# Yang di-Pertuan Agong — An Elected Federal Throne, Not an Inherited One

> The Supreme Head of the Federation, elected by the Conference of Rulers from among the nine Malay Rulers for a term of five years under Article 32 and the Third Schedule of the Federal Constitution.

- Category: glossary
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-07-24
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/glossary/yang-di-pertuan-agong

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**Bahasa Malaysia:** Yang di-Pertuan Agong · **English:** The King of Malaysia (Supreme Head of the Federation) · **中文:** 最高元首

Malaysia's federal throne is not inherited. It is offered.

Every five years, the Conference of Rulers convenes and offers the office of
Yang di-Pertuan Agong to a Ruler according to the order of a list set out in
the Constitution. There is no campaign, no public candidate, and no voters
other than the Rulers themselves. The ballot papers used are unnumbered and
are marked with the same pen and ink, before being placed into the ballot
box.

The framework is contained in Article 32 and the Third Schedule of the
[Federal Constitution](/en/law/federal-constitution) — and it has run
without interruption since [Merdeka 1957](/en/malaysia/independence-1957).

## At a glance

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Constitutional title | Supreme Head of the Federation, styled Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Article 32(1)) |
| Consort | Raja Permaisuri Agong (Article 32(2)) |
| Elected by | Conference of Rulers (Article 32(3)) |
| Term of office | Five years (Article 32(3)) |
| Election rules | Third Schedule, Part I; removal under Part III (Article 32(4)) |
| Eligibility pool | The nine Malay Rulers |
| Secretary of the Conference | Keeper of the Rulers' Seal (Fifth Schedule, section 4) |
| Oath of office | Article 37, before the Conference of Rulers |
| Current officeholder | Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar (Johor), the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, since 31 January 2024 |

## Who elects, and who does not

The Conference of Rulers is established under Article 38(1) and organised
under the Fifth Schedule. Its full membership consists of the nine Their
Royal Highnesses the Rulers and four Yang di-Pertua Negeri for the states
that do not have a Ruler.

For election purposes, however, that membership narrows. Section 7 of the
Fifth Schedule provides that the Yang di-Pertua Negeri shall **not** be
members of the Conference for the purposes of any proceedings relating to
the election or removal of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, or the election of the
Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

So only the nine Rulers are in the room. Article 38(6)(a), in turn, states
that members of the Conference may act in their discretion in proceedings on
election and removal — that is, without the advice of a Menteri Besar or
the Cabinet.

The Keeper of the Rulers' Seal acts as secretary of the Conference (Fifth
Schedule, section 4) and must summon a meeting not later than four weeks
before the expiry of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's term of office, and
whenever a vacancy occurs (section 6).

## How the election list moves

This is the part most often misunderstood. The rotation is not fixed once
and for all; it is recalculated after every election.

Section 4 of the Third Schedule sets out the mechanism:

- **The first list (1957)** was arranged according to the order of
  precedence recognised among Their Royal Highnesses the Rulers themselves
  at that time — section 4(1)(a).
- **After every election**, any state that preceded the state whose Ruler
  had been elected is moved to the end of the list, and the state whose
  Ruler had been elected is left out of the list — section 4(2)(a).
- **When there is a change of Ruler** for a state that is still on the
  list, that state is moved to the end of the list — section 4(2)(b).
- **When the list is exhausted**, it is reconstituted to include once
  again the states of all the Rulers, but in the order in which the Rulers
  of those states had held the office of Yang di-Pertuan Agong — section
  4(3).

It is this effect of section 4(3) that produces a second round that
repeats the order of the first round. Section 10 clarifies that, for the
purposes of section 4(3), the word "Ruler" includes a former Ruler.

## Inside the Election Meeting

Section 2 of the Third Schedule sets out the sequence clearly: the
Conference of Rulers shall **offer** the office to the Ruler qualified for
election whose state is first on the list. If that Ruler does not accept,
the offer is made to the Ruler of the next state, and so on until a Ruler
accepts the office.

The official Conference of Rulers portal sets out the procedure of the
meeting in detail:

| Step | Procedure |
| --- | --- |
| Ballot paper | Unnumbered, marked with the same pen and ink, then placed into the ballot box |
| Voters | Only the Rulers themselves may vote |
| Form of the ballot | The Keeper of the Rulers' Seal circulates a ballot paper containing only one candidate's name, for assent or rejection |
| Threshold | A candidate must obtain a majority of five votes before the Ruler presiding over the meeting offers him the office |
| Counting | The Ruler with the shortest reign who is not listed as a candidate counts the ballot papers together with the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal |
| Afterwards | The ballot papers are destroyed in the presence of the Rulers |

Once the offer is accepted, section 3 requires the Conference to declare
that Ruler elected, and the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal notifies the
decision in writing to both Houses of [Parliament](/en/government/parliament).

Before exercising his functions, Article 37(1) requires the Yang
di-Pertuan Agong to take and sign the oath of office in Part I of the
Fourth Schedule, before the Conference of Rulers and in the presence of the
Chief Justice of the Federal Court.

## Eligibility and term of office

Section 1(1) of the Third Schedule provides that a Ruler is qualified for
election **unless** — that Ruler is a minor; or that Ruler has notified the
Keeper of the Rulers' Seal that he does not wish to be elected; or the
Conference of Rulers, by secret ballot, resolves that the Ruler is unsuited
to exercise the functions by reason of infirmity of mind or body, or for
any other reason. Such a resolution requires the support of at least five
members of the Conference (section 1(2)).

Article 32(3) provides three ways the term of office may end before the
full five years: resignation by an instrument signed by his own hand and
addressed to the Conference of Rulers; removal by the Conference of Rulers;
or when he ceases to be a Ruler. A resolution of removal under Part III of
the Third Schedule likewise requires the support of at least five members
of the Conference.

There is also the office of Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong under Article 33,
who is elected by the Conference of Rulers under Part II of the Third
Schedule and exercises the functions of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong during a
vacancy or his absence.

## Functions under the Constitution

Article 39 vests the executive authority of the Federation in the Yang
di-Pertuan Agong. Article 40(1), in turn, provides that in carrying out
those functions, he acts in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet, and
Article 40(1A) affirms that where the Constitution requires him to act on
advice, he shall accept and act in accordance with that advice.

| Function | Provision |
| --- | --- |
| Appoints the Prime Minister — a member of the Dewan Rakyat who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority | Article 43(2)(a) |
| Appoints other Ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister | Article 43(2)(b) |
| Summons, prorogues and dissolves Parliament | Articles 55(1) and 55(2) |
| Assents to a Bill within thirty days; if not, it becomes law regardless | Articles 66(4) and 66(4A) |
| Supreme Commander of the federal armed forces | Article 41 |
| Power of pardon for offences tried by court martial and offences in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya | Article 42(1) |
| Head of the religion of Islam in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya | Article 3(5) |
| Head of the religion of Islam in Melaka, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak, according to their respective State Constitutions | Article 3(3) |
| Keeps and uses the Great Seal of the Federation | Article 36 |

Article 40(2) lists the functions that may be exercised in his own
discretion: appointing a Prime Minister; withholding consent to a request
for the dissolution of Parliament; and requesting a meeting of the
Conference of Rulers concerned solely with the privileges, position,
honours and dignities of Their Royal Highnesses the Rulers.

## Restrictions on the office

Article 34 places several restrictions on him while he holds office:

- He does not exercise the functions of Ruler of his own state, except the
  functions of Head of the religion of Islam — Article 34(1).
- He does not hold any office of profit — Article 34(2).
- He does not actively engage in any commercial enterprise — Article
  34(3).
- He does not receive any emolument payable to him as Ruler of his own
  state — Article 34(4).
- He does not leave the Federation for more than fifteen days without the
  consent of the Conference of Rulers, except during a State visit —
  Article 34(5).

Article 32(1) also provides that no proceedings may be brought against him
in any court except in the Special Court established under Part XV.
Article 33A provides that if he is charged with an offence in that Special
Court, he ceases to exercise the functions of Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and
that period is still counted as part of the five-year term.

## List of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong

The official list of the Parliament of Malaysia shows the order of states
in the first round and its repetition in the second round:

| No. | State | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Negeri Sembilan | 3 August 1957 – 1 April 1960 |
| 2 | Selangor | 14 April 1960 – 1 September 1960 |
| 3 | Perlis | 21 September 1960 – 20 September 1965 |
| 4 | Terengganu | 21 September 1965 – 20 September 1970 |
| 5 | Kedah | 21 September 1970 – 20 September 1975 |
| 6 | Kelantan | 21 September 1975 – 29 March 1979 |
| 7 | Pahang | 26 April 1979 – 25 April 1984 |
| 8 | Johor | 26 April 1984 – 25 April 1989 |
| 9 | Perak | 26 April 1989 – 25 April 1994 |
| 10 | Negeri Sembilan | 26 April 1994 – 25 April 1999 |
| 11 | Selangor | 26 April 1999 – 21 November 2001 |
| 12 | Perlis | 13 December 2001 – 12 December 2006 |
| 13 | Terengganu | 13 December 2006 – 12 December 2011 |
| 14 | Kedah | 13 December 2011 – 12 December 2016 |
| 15 | Kelantan | 13 December 2016 – 6 January 2019 |
| 16 | Pahang | 31 January 2019 – 30 January 2024 |
| 17 | [Johor](/en/states/johor) | 31 January 2024 – present |

The first nine elections completed one full round of all nine states. The
tenth election and those thereafter follow the list as reconstituted under
section 4(3), that is, in the order in which the Rulers of those states had
held the office.

Several terms ended before the full five years. Article 32(3) provides the
mechanism for such circumstances, and Article 33 provides for a Deputy
Yang di-Pertuan Agong to carry out those functions during a vacancy.

## Common misconceptions

**"The rotation is automatic."** No. Section 2 of the Third Schedule uses
the word *offer*. A Ruler may decline that offer, and the offer then moves
to the next state on the list. Section 1(1)(b) also allows a Ruler to
notify the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal that he does not wish to be elected.

**"All thirteen states take a turn."** No. Only the nine states that have a
Ruler are on the list. The Yang di-Pertua Negeri for Melaka, Penang, Sabah
and Sarawak are not eligible for election and do not vote in that election
(Fifth Schedule, section 7).

**"He ceases to be Ruler of his own state."** No. He remains Ruler of his
own state — indeed, Article 32(3) provides that he ceases to hold the
office of Yang di-Pertuan Agong when he ceases to be a Ruler. What is
restricted is the *exercise* of the functions of that state while he holds
the federal office (Article 34(1)).

**"Agong is the full title."** The full constitutional title is Yang
di-Pertuan Agong; his consort is styled Raja Permaisuri Agong (Articles
32(1) and 32(2)).

**"A Bill cannot become law without assent."** Article 66(4) sets a
thirty-day period for assent, and Article 66(4A) provides that if that
period passes, the Bill still becomes law as if it had been assented to.

## Related terms

| Term | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| Conference of Rulers (Majlis Raja-Raja) | Constitutional body under Article 38 and the Fifth Schedule; usually meets three times a year |
| Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong | Office under Article 33, elected under Part II of the Third Schedule |
| Keeper of the Rulers' Seal | Secretary of the Conference of Rulers and custodian of the Rulers' Seal (Fifth Schedule, sections 3 and 4) |
| Raja Permaisuri Agong | Title of the wife of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Article 32(2)) |
| Special Court | Court under Part XV, referred to in Articles 32(1) and 33A |

## What's next

To understand the position of this office within the structure of the
state, read the [Federal Constitution](/en/law/federal-constitution) and
[Parliament of Malaysia](/en/government/parliament). For the historical
background of how the federation of nine Malay States was formed and later
expanded, see [Merdeka 1957](/en/malaysia/independence-1957) and
[Formation of Malaysia 1963](/en/malaysia/formation-of-malaysia-1963).

The authoritative text for every citation on this page is the Federal
Constitution itself, published by the Attorney General's Chambers; the
procedure of the election meeting is published by the Conference of Rulers
on its official portal.

## Sources

- Federal Constitution (Reprint as at 15 October 2020) — https://lom.agc.gov.my/ilims/upload/portal/akta/LOM/EN/Federal%20Constitution%20(Reprint%202020).pdf (Jabatan Peguam Negara Malaysia (AGC))
- Federal Constitution — Laws of Malaysia portal — https://lom.agc.gov.my/federal-constitution.php (Jabatan Peguam Negara Malaysia (AGC))
- Pemilihan Yang di-Pertuan Agong — https://www.majlisraja-raja.gov.my/ms/pilih (Majlis Raja-Raja Malaysia)
- Election of His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong — https://www.majlisraja-raja.gov.my/en/election-of-his-majesty-yang-dipertuan-agong (Majlis Raja-Raja Malaysia)
- Maklumat Majlis Raja-Raja — https://www.majlisraja-raja.gov.my/ms/maklumat-majlis-raja-raja-latest (Majlis Raja-Raja Malaysia)
- Senarai Yang di-Pertuan Agong — https://www.parlimen.gov.my/yda-senarai-yang-di-pertuan-agong.html?uweb=yg (Portal Rasmi Parlimen Malaysia)

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