The two-day meeting was attended by all the Malay rulers accompanied by their respective menteris besar, while the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Malacca, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak were accompanied by their chief ministers.

The Special Meeting of the Conference of Rulers will take place on Friday to elect the next, or 15th, Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The current Yang di-Pertuan Agong is Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, the Sultan of Kedah, whose five-year term as King, effective from Dec 13, 2011, will end on Dec 12, 2016.

Based on the rotation system set by the Conference of Rulers, the Sultan of Kelantan, Sultan Muhammad V, is the next in line to be the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

There are a number of factors to be considered by the Conference of Rulers in selecting the succeeding Yang di-Pertuan Agong, such as the candidate being agreeable to assuming the post and who is not physically or mentally incapacitated.

Besides that, the candidate should be a state ruler, receives the support of at least five other rulers and has not held the post of Yang di-Pertuan Agong for two consecutive terms.

In the normal process, before the selection process begins, the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal will ask the next in line on the list whether he is prepared to be chosen as Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The nine royal rulers will vote through secret balloting and if the candidate receives at least five votes, he will officially be the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The process is repeated for the post of Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who will act on behalf of the King during his absence or due to illness.