KUALA LUMPUR: Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar begins his reign as the country's 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong today.
His Majesty will rule for five years, taking over from Sultan of Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, who ended his term yesterday.
Sultan Ibrahim was elected as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong through the Special 263rd Meeting of the Conference of Rulers on Oct 27, 2023.
More than 30,000 Johoreans are expected to line the road from Istana Bukit Serene in Johor Baru to Senai International Airport at 8.30am to bid the ruler farewell as he travels via a royal motorcade to the airport for a flight to Kuala Lumpur. Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah had left for the capital yesterday, accompanied by her son Tunku Putera Johor Tunku Abu Bakar Sultan Ibrahim.
Sultan Ibrahim will be greeted at the royal hangar by Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who is also former Johor menteri besar.
The ruler will then inspect a guard-of-honour by the Johor Military Force before boarding a special flight to the Royal Malaysian Air Force base (RMAF) in Subang.
Sultan Ibrahim will be welcomed by Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara Major-General Datuk Indera Zahari Mohd Ariffin, as well as Subang RMAF base commander Brigadier-General Dr Norazrin Shamsudin,
He will then inspect an armed forces' guard-of-honour before proceeding to Istana Negara.
Five roads in the capital will be temporarily closed today in conjunction with the installation ceremony.
The roads include Jalan Sultan Abdul Halim, Jalan Kuching, Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan Damansara and Jalan Travers.
The royal motorcade will pass through the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), the North-South Expressway (PLUS) and Jalan Sultan Abdul Halim.
These routes will be closed temporarily and reopened in stages starting at 9.30am.
A total of 1,463 personnel will be deployed throughout the ceremony to ensure security and traffic control.
Upon arrival at Istana Negara at 11.30am, Sultan Ibrahim will attend a Special 264th Meeting of the Conference of Rulers.
This will be followed by Sultan Ibrahim taking the oath of office and signing the instrument of office as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong at the Balairung Seri.
The ceremony will also witness Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah taking the oath of office as Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong for five years.