Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu

He is also the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong born after Malaya gained independence, which fell on 31 August 1957.

Al-Wathiqu Billah Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin ibni Almarhum Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah (الواثق بالله سلطان ميزان زين العابدين ابن المرحوم سلطان محمود المکتفي بالله شاه; born 22 January 1962) is Sultan of Terengganu, reigning since 1998.

Mizan was appointed the Yang di-Pertuan Muda of the State of Terengganu on 6 November 1979.

On 15 September 1981, Tengku Mizan was appointed as Assistant Land Levy Collector, working for a period of about a year at the District and Land Office in Kuala Terengganu, prior to his departure overseas to attend the military course in England.

Mizan Zainal Abidin participated in the military course PRE SMC (E) 33 at the Army School of Languages from 1982 to 1983.

He then studied the military course SMC 33 at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England, successfully completing the course as Cadet Officer on 9 December 1983.

In 1988, he completed his undergraduate studies at US International University-Europe (now called Alliant International University) in London, earning a B.A. in International Relations.

Tengku Mizan's next appointment in 1988 was becoming a State Administrative Officer at the State Economic Planning Unit (UPEN) in Wisma Darul Iman, Kuala Terengganu.

Besides working for UPEN, Tengku Mizan was also seconded as an Assistant District Land Officer at the Kuala Terengganu District and Land Office.

On 20 October 1990, he was appointed the Regent of Terengganu to 8 November 1990.

From 1990 to 1995, Mizan was President of the Council for Islam and Malay Culture of Terengganu.

Mizan married Sultanah Nur Zahirah on 28 March 1996 in Kuala Terengganu.

She is the second Raja Permaisuri Agong (Queen of Malaysia) to habitually wear the hijab (ritual Islamic headscarf for women), and the third to have been born a commoner.

The royal couple has two sons and two daughters:

Mizan became the youngest ruler of a Malaysian federal state when he acceded the throne as the Sultan of Terengganu on 15 May 1998 following the death of his father, Sultan Mahmud.

Mizan was crowned as the 17th Sultan of Terengganu on 4 March 1999.

Mizan was appointed Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong on 26 April 1999 after Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, the Sultan of Selangor was elected the 11th Yang di-Pertuan Agong by the Conference of Rulers.

Following the illness and subsequently death of Salahuddin, Mizan served as Acting YDPA from 8 October to 12 December 2001.

Mizan was re-appointed Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong on 13 December 2001 after the Conference of Rulers elected Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin as the 12th YDPA.

Mizan served as the first Chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) from 2001 to 2006.

He previously reigned as the thirteenth Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the constitutional monarch of Malaysia, from 2006 to 2011.

Mizan Zainal Abidin was born at Istana Al-Muktafi in Kuala Terengganu, the eldest son of Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah by his second wife, Fatimah @ Sharifah Nong Alsagoff binti Abdillah.

Sharifah's family is of Arab descent, from Sayid Omar Aljunied (her maternal great-grandfather), one of the modern pioneers of Singapore.

Mizan Zainal Abidin studied at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sultan Sulaiman and Sekolah Menengah Sultan Sulaiman, Kuala Terengganu.

He went overseas to study at the Geelong Grammar School in Geelong, Australia.

On 3 November 2006, Mizan was elected by the Conference of Rulers to become the thirteenth YDPA, with his five-year term starting 13 December 2006.

The Conference of Rulers appointed Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah as the Deputy YDPA.

Mizan's appointment was the fourth following a second rotation system amongst the nine Malay Rulers.

This five-year rotational constitutional monarchy is unique to Malaysia.

After Sultan Mizan was elected as Yang di-Pertuan Agong, he appointed Tengku Muhammad Ismail, then aged eight, as Regent on 12 November 2006.

On 26 April 2007, Mizan was formally installed as Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Mizan, 44, is the third youngest YDPA after Tuanku Syed Putra of Perlis and Tuanku Abdul Halim of Kedah who were elected at age 40 and 43 respectively.

The state of Terengganu, where Barisan Nasional won two-thirds of the seats in the state parliament, was the last to appoint a Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) after the 2008 general elections.

In the formation of the new Terengganu state government, the federal government under Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi recommended Idris Jusoh as Menteri Besar, who received full support of 23 of the 24 Barisan Nasional state assemblymen elected.

However, on 22 March, the office of the Sultan of Terengganu announced the appointment of Kijal assemblyman Ahmad Said instead of Idris Jusoh, as was the Sultan's constitutional right.

The Prime Minister claimed that the appointment of Ahmad Said was unconstitutional as it went against the wishes of the assemblymen and the Prime Minister's office, all of whom had supported Idris Jusoh's candidacy for Menteri Besar.

On 26 March, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin met at Istana Negara to resolve the impasse.

The Prime Minister accepted the King's appointment of Ahmad Said as Menteri Besar of Terengganu.

He also apologised to the King for the public spat over the appointment of the Menteri Besar, explaining that there was no intention to disparage or humiliate the royal household.

This apparent climbdown was due to the possibility that the royal household would be prepared to dissolve the state assembly if there had been a motion of no-confidence against Ahmad Said by the 23 UMNO state assemblymen.