Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu has been elected by his fellow brother rulers as the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

His five-year term as the 13th ruler will begin on Dec 15. He replaces the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail who was elected as the constitutional monarch on Dec 13, 2001.

Forty-five year old Mizan is the present Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Mizan's appointment today was rubber-stamped by the Conference of Rulers at its special meeting at Istana Negara today.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in a statement that the 208th rulers' meeting also agreed to appoint Tuanku Alhaj Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah of Kedah as the new Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The Conference of Rulers was chaired by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan and attended by all the rulers except for the Sultan of Pahang and Sultan of Johor.

A rotation

Mizan was first appointed Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong on April 26, 1999 when the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah was the 11th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The second time he was appointed Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong was on Dec 12, 2001 following the death of Sultan Salahuddin on Nov 21, that year.

As for the Sultan of Kedah, he was the 5th Yang di-Pertuan Agong from Jan 12, 1970 until Sept 20, 1975.

The position of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is rotated among the Malay rulers from nine states in the peninsula.