Line of succession to the Saudi Arabian throne

Saudi Arabia

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The order of succession to the throne of Saudi Arabia is determined by, and within, the House of Saud. It follows agnatic seniority, but a prince may be surpassed or another elevated. The Allegiance Council was created in 2006 to facilitate the royal transfer of power.

King Abdullah is the current ruler of Saudi Arabia. His heir apparent is Crown Prince Nayef. At least two brothers, (Bandar and Musaid), are older than King Abdullah, and several others (Mishaal, Abdul-Rahman, Mutaib, Talal, Badr (?), Nawwaf (?)) are older than Nayef. But each has stepped aside due to health reasons, family consensus, or an unwillingness to participate in governing.

History

Main article: King of Saudi Arabia

Further information: History of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia became a kingdom in 1932. The Al Saud family has controlled vast parts of the region for two and half centuries. The Saudi royalty collapsed twice in the 1800s due to discord over succession. In 1890s, the Al Saud family was completely supplanted by a rival clan — the Al Rashid. The kingdom began to fight to restore itself through King Abdul-Aziz and his surprise capture of Riyadh in 1902.^[1]

Abdul-Aziz conquered Arabia and formed alliances by marriage to members of its biggest tribes. This strengthened his power within the Al Sauds and expanded his legitimacy in Arabia. He presided over the discovery of oil in the region. He died in 1953.

His two eldest sons, Saud and Faisal, competed for power after his death. Faisal eventually secured the throne in 1964 and exiled Saud from power. He faced a minor challenge from the Free Princes early on, but the reform movement was quickly disestablished. Faisal's popular reign was ended prematurely by his assassination in 1975. King Khalid ascended to the throne and ruled until his death in 1982.

King Fahd, the head of the Sudairi faction, ruled from 1982 until his stroke in 1995. Crown Prince Abdullah then took control of the kingdom's affairs and was crowned king in 2005, after the death of King Fahd. Since Fahd's ascent to the throne in 1982, the Sudairi Seven have become the most powerful alliance within the ruling Saudi royal family.

King Abdullah is the present ruler of Saudi Arabia. Crown Prince Nayef is next in line to the throne

Candidates

After Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz, the most likely candidate for the throne are his brothers:^[2]

• Salman bin Abdul-Aziz (born 1936) Minister of Defense, November 2011. Former Governor of Riyadh, Sudairi Seven
• Ahmed bin Abdul-Aziz, (born 1941) Deputy Interior Minister, Sudairi Seven
• Sattam bin Abdul-Aziz, (born 1941) Governor of Riyadh. (November 2011).
• Muqrin bin Abdul-Aziz, (born 1945) Director General of Saudi Intelligence.^[3]

There are older brothers who are also under consideration;

• Mishaal bin Abdul-Aziz, (born 1926) Chairman of the Bay'ah Council
• Mutaib bin Abdul-Aziz, (born 1931) former Minister for Municipal & Rural Affairs
• Abdul-Rahman bin Abdul-Aziz, (born 1931) former Deputy Defense Minister, Sudairi Seven
• Badr bin Abdul-Aziz, (born 1933) former Deputy Commander of the Saudi Arabian National Guard

Grandsons who appear to have the necessary support and experience to be considered candidates include:

• Khalid Al-Faisal, (born 1940) Governor of Makkah Province
• Saud Al-Faisal,(born 1941) Foreign Minister
• Turki Al-Faisal, (born 1945) former Director of General Intelligence
• Khalid bin Sultan, (born 1949) Deputy Defense Minister
• Muhammad bin Fahd, (born 1951) Governor of Eastern Province
• Mutaib bin Abdullah, (born 1953) Commander of National Guard
• Muhammad bin Nayef, (born 1959) Deputy Interior Minister
• Abdul-Aziz bin Abdullah, (born 1962) Deputy Foreign Minister

Sons of Abdul-Aziz who do not seem to have the necessary experience, support, lineage, health, or ambition but are nonetheless influential in the selection process:^[4][5]

• Bandar bin Abdul-Aziz, (born 1923)
• Musa'id bin Abdul-Aziz, (born 1923)
• Hadhlul bin Abdul-Aziz, (born 1940)

Allegiance Council

Further information: Allegiance Council

In October 2006, King Abdullah created the Allegiance Council.^[1] It is composed of 35 people: Abdul-Aziz's sons, the eldest sons of the brothers who have died since Abdul-Aziz's death, and the sons of Abdullah and Sultan.^[1] The Council is led by Prince Mishaal.^[1] The Sudairi, who control a fifth of its seats, have been viewed as weakened because they have an even more disproportionate power within the government.^[1]

Power of the Council

The purpose of the Council is to ensure the smooth transition of power in the event of incapacitation or death of the King or Crown Prince.

This, along with an earlier decree by King Fahd, has opened the possibility of considering Abdul-Aziz's grandsons as viable candidates. Beyond age, the criteria for selection include:

• Support within the Al Saud
• Tenure in government
• Tribal affiliations and origins of a candidate's mother
• Religious persona
• Acceptance by the Ulema
• Support by the merchant community
• Popularity among the general Saudi citizenry.

The Council votes by secret ballot.^[6] The council was intended to determine the line of succession after the reigns of Abdullah and Sultan. In October 2011, the death of Sultan before the end of Abdullah's reign opened the question of whether the council would vote for a new crown prince or whether Nayef automatically becomes crown prince.^[7] Several days later, a royal court statement read out on state television said the new Crown Prince Nayef had been appointed after the king met with the Allegiance Council. ^[8]

The council also has the right to remove sitting kings for reasons of health.

Succession after Abdullah

By tradition, kingship has passed between brothers of one generation of the Al Saud family before descending to the next generation. The House of Saud has recently been in anxiety over succession. The central problem is that the majority of the remaining 20 of the 35-plus sons of King Abdul-Aziz are either too old, or do not have the experience, to manage the kingdom.^[9]

King Abdullah is 87. Crown Prince Nayef is 78. Prince Salman is 75. ^[10]

During the history of modern Saudi Arabia, second deputy premiers have always ended up as Crown Princes.^[9]

Since November 2010, Prince Nayef has chaired many Cabinet meetings in the absence of Sultan and Abdullah.^[11] Abdullah relegated his own post as Commander of the Saudi National Guard to his son, Prince Mutaib. From December 2010 to March 2011, Abdullah went to the United States to obtain medical treatment. These were all indications that Abdullah was decreasing the amount of his duties.^[12] On October 27, 2011, Prince Nayef was officially announced Crown Prince following the death of Crown Prince Sultan. ^[8]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "The Saudi succession: When kings and princes grow old". The Economist. http://www.economist.com/node/16588422. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
2. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15487965
3. ^ "Saudi king prepares to name new crown prince". The Daily Star. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/Oct-24/152043-saudi-king-prepares-to-name-new-crown-prince.ashx#axzz1dRKmQLbX. Retrieved 2011-11-11. 
4. ^ Posted by: Mohammed (2009-03-28). "Saudi Prince Nayef named second deputy premier". ArabianBusiness.com. http://www.arabianbusiness.com/550822-saudi-prince-nayaf-named-second-deputy-premier. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
5. ^ "Factbox: Key players in the ruling Saudi family". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AL2TJ20101122. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
6. ^ "Saudi king details succession law". BBC News. 2007-10-09. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7035991.stm. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
7. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
8. ^ ^{a b} "Saudi Arabia names Prince Nayef as heir to throne". BBC News. 2011-10-27. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15487965. Retrieved 2011-10-28. 
9. ^ ^{a b} "Saudi Arabia's Prince Nayef: A rising but enigmatic prince". The Economist. 2009-04-02. http://www.economist.com/node/13414090?story_id=13414090. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
10. ^ Standards, Saudi. "Foreign Policy: A Prince's Mysterious Disappearance : NPR." National Public Radio. NPR, 22 Oct. 2010. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. [2].
11. ^ "Saudi king suffers herniated disc". Google.com. 2010-11-12. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hK7wm4CBGfjgDhw4dj862YlpXflg?docId=CNG.cb80a1df49e6851ae06101076385e499.4d1. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
12. ^ "Saudi king transfers National Guard duties to son". Washingtonpost.com. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/17/AR2010111704919.html. Retrieved 2011-10-22.