Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s new King Salman appointed a grandson of the founding monarch into the line of succession for the first time on Friday, moving fast after the death of King Abdullah.
The appointment of Interior Minister Prince Mohammad Bin Nayef as Deputy Crown Prince was highly unusual for its speed, Saudis said, ahead of the burial of the monarch due on Friday afternoon following his death in the early hours. Such appointments normally take several days.
Mohammad Bin Nayef becomes the first grandson of the kingdom’s founding monarch, King Abdul Aziz, to take an established place in the line of succession.
All Saudi kings since his death in 1953 have been his sons. King Salman also appointed his own son Mohammad Bin Salman Defence Minister and head of the royal court.
Salman, thought to be 79, now takes over as the ultimate authority in a country that faces long-term domestic challenges compounded by the plunging price of oil and the rise of the Daesh militant group in Iraq and Syria. In his first speech as king, shown live on Saudi television on Friday, Salman pledged to maintain the same approach to ruling the world’s top oil exporter and birthplace of Islam as his predecessors and also called for unity among Arab states.
“We will remain, God willing, holding the straight course that this country has walked on since its establishment by the late King Abdul Aziz,” he said.
Salman must navigate a white-hot rivalry with Iran playing out in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Bahrain, open conflict in two neighbouring states, a threat from Islamist militants and bumpy relations with the US.
By immediately announcing the appointment of his youngest half-brother Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz as Crown Prince, King Salman moved decisively to end speculation about the direction of the royal succession and splits in the ruling family.
However, Saudi analysts pointed out that despite this move to demonstrate a smooth succession and respect the wishes of Abdullah, who had decreed that Muqrin should follow Salman, it is not clear how much power he will have as crown prince.
“Muqrin is not as conservative as Salman, but we will see how much of a role he will play in the new reign. According to the Basic Law, the crown prince cannot do more than what he is assigned to by the king,” said Khalid Al Dakheel, a political-science professor in Riyadh.
“I think [King Salman] will continue with [King] Abdullah’s reforms. He realises the importance of this. He’s not conservative in person, but he values the opinion of the conservative constituency of the country,” said Jamal Khashoggi, head of a news channel owned by a Saudi prince.
