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Succession to the Saudi Arabian throne

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Politics of 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. The heir apparent from 2005 to 2011 was the late Sultan bin Abdulaziz; the second heir apparent was Nayef bin Abdulaziz from 2011 to his death in 2012.[1] On 18 June 2012, Salman bin Abdulaziz was appointed the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.[2] Prince Salman was also made Deputy Prime Minister.[3] At least two brothers, Bandar and Musaid, are older than King Abdullah.

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.[4]

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 reign was ended 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 is Salman bin Abdulaziz beginning in 18 June 2012.

Candidates

The most likely candidate for next-in-line to the throne are the King's brothers:[5]

Influential family members

Sons of King Abdulaziz:[11][12]

Grandsons of King Abdulaziz:

Allegiance Council

In October 2006, King Abdullah created the Allegiance Council.[4] It is composed of 31 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.[4] The Council is led by Prince Mishaal.[4] 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.[4]

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.[13] 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.[14] 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.[5]

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

References

  1. ^ "Saudi crown prince dies". Al Jazeera. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  2. ^ Patrick, Neil (17 June 2012). "Saudi Arabia: Crown Prince's death raises succession questions". BBC. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  3. ^ McDowall, Angus (18 June 2012). "Saudi appoints Prince Salman as crown prince". Reuters. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e "The Saudi succession: When kings and princes grow old". The Economist. 2010-07-15. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  5. ^ a b "Saudi Arabia names Prince Nayef as heir to throne". BBC News. 2011-10-27. Retrieved 2011-10-28.
  6. ^ a b "Prince Abdul-Ilah bin Abdulaziz appointed royal adviser". Saudi Embassy, Washington D.C. October 10, 2008. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  7. ^ Henderson, Simon (January 21, 2009). "Saudi Leadership Crisis Looms: Health of Crown Prince Falters". The Washington Institute. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  8. ^ Stephens, Michael (June 18, 2012). "The Underestimated Prince Nayef". Foreign Policy. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  9. ^ "After King Abdullah" (PDF). Washington Institute for Near East Policy. August 2009. Retrieved 2012-06-07.
  10. ^ "Saudi Arabia names former ambassador to US to powerful intelligence post". Associated Press. July 19, 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-20. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Posted by: Mohammed (28 March 2009). "Saudi Prince Nayef named second deputy premier". ArabianBusiness.com. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  12. ^ "Factbox: Key players in the ruling Saudi family". Reuters. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  13. ^ "Saudi king details succession law". BBC News. 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  14. ^ [1][dead link]
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