A special meeting of Malaysia's Council of Rulers, which groups the heads of the country's nine royal houses, will be held on Thursday to discuss the formation of a new government, the palace said in a statement on Wednesday.

Malaysia's king is due to pick a new premier after the leading contenders - opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former premier Muhyiddin Yassin - failed to secure enough support for a majority following last weekend's election. (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff, A. Ananthalakshmi, and Mei Mei Chu; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Tom Hogue)