The weekend elections in Malaysia delivered a hung assembly. The political parties soon found themselves trying to manufacture coalitions to reach the magical majority mark of 112.

The weekend elections in Malaysia delivered a hung assembly. The political parties soon found themselves trying to manufacture coalitions to reach the magical majority mark of 112. However, King Al-Sultan Abdullah on Tuesday said he will pick the next prime minister after the warring parties could not break the deadlock. After the failure of coalition talks, the king's role in the formation of the next federal government has taken the centre stage. But who is the king and what role does he play in Malaysia's unique constitutional monarchy system? Read more: 'Let me take a decision soon': Malaysia King to call the shots after stalemate election Who is Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah? King Al-Sultan Abdullah is Malaysia's 16th monarch and ascended the throne in 2019 at the age of 59. He belongs to one of the royal families of the nine states which picks the king every five years — a system that was agreed upon in 1957 when Malaysia gained independence from the British colonialists. King Al-Sultan Abdullah is the ruler of the state of Pahang which is situated on Malaysia's east coast. As a king, Al-Sultan Abdullah is the head of the state and the commander of the armed forces. More importantly, he oversees key federal appointments, including the post of prime minister. Is the Malaysian king always the kingmaker? While King Al-Sultan Abdullah has a rather ceremonial role to play in the electoral choices, he has the power to appoint any lawmaker that he believes can amass the required majority. Rarely has a Malaysian king ever used this power to conjure a government and a prime minister. However, the political instability in the last three years has prompted the silver-haired Al-Sultan Abdullah to step up and call the shots. WATCH | Malaysia faces hung Parliament for first time in history after tight election race × In February 2020, he appointed Muhyiddin Yassin as the PM after Mahathir Mohamad was forced to resign following a bitter coalition infighting. A year later, the king appointed Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the new PM after asking the country's lawmakers to submit their preferred choice as the PM in a letter. On Tuesday, after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former PM Muhyiddin Yassin could not gather the numbers, Al-Sultan Abdullah told reporters, "Let me make a decision soon." The King proposed the formation of a 'unity government', a proposal that was subsequently turned down by Muhyiddin. As many as 30 lawmakers from the Barisan Nasional alliance have been summoned by the monarch to meet him on Wednesday to determine who becomes the next PM. The last three years have been rather turbulent for Malaysia's political class and ordinary citizens. Rising inflation and global economic slowdown have only added to the woes and thus all eyes will be on Al-Sultan Abdullah to pick a candidate that can last the complete tenure. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Who is Malaysia’s king, set to play key role in selection of next Malaysian PM?

Malaysia's embattled leader defended his actions Thursday as he faced calls to quit after rare criticism from the king, who accused his government of misleading parliament over coronavirus laws.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin leads a scandal-plagued coalition that seized power last year without an election,&nbsp;but his government is on the verge of collapse after allies withdrew support.

Muhyiddin's government said earlier this week that on July 21 it had revoked all ordinances that had come into effect since a national state of emergency was imposed in January.

King Al-Sultan Abdullah imposed the emergency on the advice of Muhyiddin, who had said it was needed to curb the spread of COVID-19.

However, critics have slammed the move and accused the premier of trying to cling to power amid a slim majority.

In a statement on Thursday, the palace said the revocation of the ordinances was done without the king's consent and thus ran counter to the federal constitution and the principles of law.

Muhyiddin's office said his government had acted in accordance with the law and the&nbsp;Malaysian constitution.

The move comes after over a year of political upset in the Southeast Asian country following the unexpected exit of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in February 2020 amid infighting in his governing coalition.

Muhyiddin has governed with a razor-thin majority and led an unstable ruling coalition since coming to power in March 2020.

Malaysia&nbsp;is a constitutional monarchy in which the king has a largely ceremonial role, carrying out his duties on advice from the prime minister and cabinet.

Some analysts say the monarch has discretion over whether an emergency should be declared, however. Consent from the king, much revered across&nbsp;Malaysia's multi-ethnic population, is also needed to name a prime minister.

The UMNO party, the biggest bloc in the ruling alliance, called on Muhyiddin to resign for disobeying the king's decree to debate the emergency ordinances in parliament and revoking them without his consent.

UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Muhyiddin's actions were a "clear act of treason towards the King".

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he had filed a motion of no confidence against Muhyiddin, and claimed a majority of lawmakers no longer supported the prime minister.

Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government had the support of 110 of&nbsp;Malaysia's 222 parliamentarians.

(With inputs from agencies)

Malaysia's embattled leader defended his actions Thursday as he faced calls to quit after rare criticism from the king, who accused his government of misleading parliament over coronavirus laws.

Malaysia's embattled leader defended his actions Thursday as he faced calls to quit after rare criticism from the king, who accused his government of misleading parliament over coronavirus laws. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin leads a scandal-plagued coalition that seized power last year without an election, but his government is on the verge of collapse after allies withdrew support. Muhyiddin's government said earlier this week that on July 21 it had revoked all ordinances that had come into effect since a national state of emergency was imposed in January. King Al-Sultan Abdullah imposed the emergency on the advice of Muhyiddin, who had said it was needed to curb the spread of COVID-19. However, critics have slammed the move and accused the premier of trying to cling to power amid a slim majority. In a statement on Thursday, the palace said the revocation of the ordinances was done without the king's consent and thus ran counter to the federal constitution and the principles of law. Muhyiddin's office said his government had acted in accordance with the law and the Malaysian constitution. The move comes after over a year of political upset in the Southeast Asian country following the unexpected exit of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in February 2020 amid infighting in his governing coalition. Muhyiddin has governed with a razor-thin majority and led an unstable ruling coalition since coming to power in March 2020. Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy in which the king has a largely ceremonial role, carrying out his duties on advice from the prime minister and cabinet. Some analysts say the monarch has discretion over whether an emergency should be declared, however. Consent from the king, much revered across Malaysia's multi-ethnic population, is also needed to name a prime minister. The UMNO party, the biggest bloc in the ruling alliance, called on Muhyiddin to resign for disobeying the king's decree to debate the emergency ordinances in parliament and revoking them without his consent. UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Muhyiddin's actions were a "clear act of treason towards the King". Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he had filed a motion of no confidence against Muhyiddin, and claimed a majority of lawmakers no longer supported the prime minister. Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government had the support of 110 of Malaysia's 222 parliamentarians. (With inputs from agencies)

Malaysia: PM Muhyiddin Yassin defends himself after royal rebuke sparks calls to quit

Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah rejected a request by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin for him to declare a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus crisis.

WION Dispatch: Malaysian King rejects PM Muhyiddin's plea to declare emergency