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group of local residents claiming to be descendants of the founders of the Yogyakarta sultanate announced on Sunday the inauguration of Prince Gusti Bendoro Pangeran Haryo (GBPH) Prabukusumo as Yogyakarta'€™s monarch to replace his elder brother Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.

The crowning ceremony, which was not attended by Prabukusumo, took place at the Pesanggrahan Ambarketawang heritage site in Gamping, Sleman.

Group coordinator Satrio Djojonegoro said the inauguration of a new monarch must occur as the Yogyakarta sultanate had been facing a vacuum of power recently after Hamengkubuwono X decided in late April to issue a sabda raja (sultan'€™s proclamation) to change his name to Hamengkubawono.

'€œThe sultan of the [Yogyakarta] palace is Hamengkubuwono and Hamengkubawono is nobody. The sultan is the spiritual leader and an imam, and an imam must be a man,'€ he said.

Contacted separately, Prabukusumo said on Monday that he did not know about the group'€™s claim surrounding his inauguration as the monarch. He refused to comment further on the matter.

Members of the royal family at Yogyakarta Palace have previously expressed opposition to Hamengkubuwono X'€™s decision to name his eldest daughter as his heir, claiming the choice violates the palace'€™s paugeran (regulations).

The 69-year-old monarch, who has ruled the palace for 27 years, has named his eldest daughter, Gusti Kanjeng Ratu (GKR) Pembayun, the crown princess and given her the title GKR Mangkubumi, which many see as a move to prepare her for succession.

Since the establishment of the palace, the ruler has always been male because in Javanese palace tradition, bobot (quality), bibit (origin) and bebet (rank) are associated with the male lineage.