Saudi Succession

[Madame Royale]

Nayef, the soon to be Crown Prince is, shall we say, certainly critical of the United States and is no friend of Isreal so it will be interesting to see how successful diplomacy should be should he ever succeed King Abdullah.

Also, he is said to be one of the most conservative members of the Al Saud.

I certainly wish the incumbent monarch many more years to come.

[dazzling]

Prince Nayef was deputy Crown Prince but it is not certain if he will be the next Crown Prince.

Im not sure if many are aware of the council the King created a few years ago, here is a good brief description of it

It is possible the king will for the first time put the decision of his heir to the Allegiance Council, a body Abdullah created as one of his reforms, made up of his brothers, half-brothers and nephews with a mandate to determine the succession. That would open the choice up to a degree of debate within the top echelons of the royal family.

Traditionally the king names his successor. Abdullah formed the council in order to modernize the process and give a wider voice in the choice.

- Source

Prince Sultan's body will be prayed on and buried on Tuesday afternoon in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia according to Saudi TV.

[Ahmed95]

I dont know but all the senior royals are very old.

Abdullah is 88, Nayef is 78, Salman is 75.

They could play the wildcard and make Turki al-Faisal or Saud al-Faisal the next king.

Anyway RIP Prince Sultan bin-Abdul Aziz Al Sa'ud

[shrifia]

I agree it's time for a fresh air in the royal family I think it's also very important to Saudi Arabia to have a CP and king from the new generation.

[Ahmed95]

I somehow think that Turki al-Faisal bin-Faisal Al Sa'ud would make a good king because he is only 65, educated, calm and King Faisal was a good king who was progressive and powerful

Turki is not as 'hardcore' as Nayef

I hope the Kingdom becomes a constitutional kingdom where instead of the king, the Shura council has most of the power since Shura is consultation and that in turn can mean parliament. Because now the king can do whatever he wants pretty much although it's changing.

God willing for a more democratic Saudi Arabia!

[Kasumi]

Saudi king to hold historic vote - Telegraph
Saudi Arabia's absolute monarch will make an historic concession to the principle of the ballot in coming days as a special council votes for the first time on who should succeed him as ruler.

Saudi Crown Prince Sultan Has Died - Bloomberg
Prince Nayef, born in 1934, is the most likely candidate for the crown prince position. King Abdullah, who is 87, underwent surgery earlier this month to relieve back pain after traveling to the U.S. in November for three months of medical care.

Analysis:Untested Saudi family council key to orderly succession | Reuters
The death of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan puts the spotlight on an untested system of succession set up by King Abdullah in 2006 to ensure stability in the world's top oil exporter.

[Kasumi]

Prince Salman bib Abdulaziz al-Saud is named a new Crown Prince today.
Not Prince Nayef...

[Ahmed95]

Originally Posted by Kasumi

Prince Salman bib Abdulaziz al-Saud is named a new Crown Prince today.
Not Prince Nayef...

Serious?

Thats good because Nayef is not really reformist although he is a wonderful keeper of stability and has successfully enliminated extremists.

Salman is younger and is actually maybe a reformer

He also is A BOSS

[zaina]

Originally Posted by Kasumi

Prince Salman bib Abdulaziz al-Saud is named a new Crown Prince today.
Not Prince Nayef...

I have had a look at your link and it does not say that HRH prince Salman is crown prince.

[Ahmed95]

Obviously it will be Nayef.

Dont dare dream about reform then.

If you want reform then probabaly it should be Salman or to a greater extent Saud Al Faisal, Khalid Al Faisal or Turki Al Faisal because the sons of King Faisal are the reformists

[dazzling]

I would assume that the 3 names of the Crown Prince's position would be announced or the names won't be announced but just who has been chosen. For reform, Nayef is not the person, they would need to have someone else. I doubt Nayef will be chosen.

[Biri]

RIP, Crown Prince Sultan...

As for sons of King Abdul-Aziz: apart from current King, how many of them are still alive?
How old are they?

[Ahmed95]

Originally Posted by Biri

RIP, Crown Prince Sultan...

As for sons of King Abdul-Aziz: apart from current King, how many of them are still alive?
How old are they?

the ones I know:

Bandar(1923-) Unknown guy
Mu'said(1923-) Father of the guy who assassinated HM King Faisal
Mishaal(1927-) No politics only is a businessman
Talaal(1930-) Father of Al Waleed but is not in line. Was for a period pro Gemal Abdel Nasser before he was rehabilitated. 'Free Prince' movement.
Abdul Rahman(1931)- Minister of Airways i think.
Nayef(1933-) Interior minister. Conservative but has a tight grip and has thwarted radicals
Salman(1937-) Governor of Riyadh Province. Seems reformist and his son Sultan went into space


Few others

[asma]

May God has mercy on Sultan's soul.I think most likely prince Nayef,minister of interior will be named the crown prince.

[dazzling]

To what i read a while ago is that the new CP/future king needs to be a full Saudi national. I won't be surprised if Prince Salman is chosen or put as deputy crown prince.

Saudi Succession Committee under the spotlight as country mourns Crown Prince
Article

[dazzling]

World waits for Saudi king to announce new heir
Article

[shrifia]

it's official:
Prince Nayef named as Crown Prince & Deputy Prime Minister
BEIRUT: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah appointed Interior Minister Prince Nayef as his new heir in the world's top oil exporter, said a royal court statement read out on state television early Friday....Source

[Ahmed95]

An obvious choice to name Prince Nayef. If he becomes king, he wont cancel out any of Abdullah's reforms because that will harm the stability of the Al Saud.

He is conservative and he is not the most healthy guy out there. A massive generation shift will come soon and it should pass on to the Al Faisals(sons of Faisal)

All the big senior princes are in their 70's at least

[blauerengel]

Well,now they chose Prince Nayef - I guess they didn´t find any other Saudi prince who is younger,more handsome,modern,innovative and humourous than he is (no claws intended) but seriously,I tought the people of Saudi Arabia want to see some real change and social reforms.... he looks just like a colourless copy of the conservative leaders before him....

[dazzling]

Originally Posted by Ahmed95

An obvious choice to name Prince Nayef. If he becomes king, he wont cancel out any of Abdullah's reforms because that will harm the stability of the Al Saud.

He is conservative and he is not the most healthy guy out there. A massive generation shift will come soon and it should pass on to the Al Faisals(sons of Faisal)

All the big senior princes are in their 70's at least

The Al Faisals sons are from the same age group of Prince Nayef and many other royals so we would be back to square 1. Yes the Al Faisals would be one of the best choice to lead Saudi forward but also the younger generation could do so. I personally think it should go to the best and most suitable not to necessary to brother/s.