(Oxford Analytica/Forbes) The succession of Saudi King Abdallah bin Abd al-Aziz and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abd al-Aziz has been smooth, but their respective ages of 83 and 81 raise the question of who will succeed them. The Basic Law of 1992 issued by King Fahd lays down that the king must be drawn from the direct descendants of King Abd al-Aziz with "the most upright person chosen." Prince Salman (69), the governor of Riyadh, is the most able of the remaining sons of Abd al-Aziz. For many years he has functioned as the unofficial CEO of the Al-Saud and has been responsible for fixing stipends to princes and resolving disputes. However, the irascible Prince Nayef (72), the interior minister, who is responsible not only for security but for relations with the Wahhabi religious establishment, is older and may insist that he gets his turn, despite his poor health.
2005-11-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive