New Sultan of Perak to be proclaimed tomorrow

The appointment and proclamation of the new Sultan of Perak will be made at the Balairong Seri (Throne Room) of the Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar tomorrow evening, said Dewan Negara Perak secretary Datuk Ayob Hashim.

He said the ceremony would be held before the remains of the late Sultan Azlan Shah were laid to rest.

Sultan Azlan Shah passed away at 1.30 pm today at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur. His Royal Highness was 86.

Ayob also said that a special meeting of the Dewan Negara Perak would be held late this evening to determine the successor of Sultan Azlan Shah.

Orang Kaya Bendahara Seri Maharaja Gen (Rtd) Tan Sri Mohd Zahidi Zainuddin will chair the meeting at the Istana Iskandariah, he said.

The special meeting is convened in accordance with a provision in the Perak Constitution which states that the Dewan Negara must convene in Kuala Kangsar within 24 hours of the demise of a reigning monarch.

Ayob said the appointment and proclamation of the new sultan would take place after the dignitaries and the public had paid their last respects to the late sultan.

The remains of Sultan Azlan Shah will be laid to rest at the royal mausoleum in Kuala Kangsar tomorrow after the 'Asar' prayers in the late afternoon.