Saudi king gives male relatives power to select rulers

Published 9:00 pm Friday, October 20, 2006

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia’s king gave new powers to his brothers and nephews in an overhaul of the way the kingdom chooses future monarchs, the state-run news agency reported Friday, in what appeared to be an attempt to defuse internal power struggles.

By royal decree, a new group called the “Allegiance Association” – composed of King Abdullah’s brothers and some of his nephews – will vote by secret ballot to choose future kings and crown princes, the agency said.

Crown Prince Sultan, the king’s 77-year-old brother, already is slated to take over upon the 81-year-old monarch’s death. The new council’s creation appeared to be an attempt to defuse rifts within the House of Saud over future kings and crown princes.

Membership in the council was only open to sons of Saudi Arabia’s founder, Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, and some of his grandsons. King Abdullah is one of those sons.

The new body will meet in secret in the royal palace in the capital, Riyadh, the report said. The first meeting will not be held until after Sultan dies.

When Sultan dies, the crown prince chosen by him will succeed. The council will meet to choose the new crown prince, picking from one to three candidates nominated by the new king or another prince.

The council has to choose the new crown prince within 30 days of the new king’s ascent, the decree was quoted as saying.

King Abdullah succeeded his half brother, King Fahd, who died last year. As crown prince, Abdullah had been the de facto ruler since Fahd was incapacitated by a stroke in 1995. Sultan stepped in as crown prince and is next in line for the throne.

The kingdom’s rule was being passed through the sons of Abdul-Aziz, but they are aging and the next few successions are expected to go quickly – particularly in comparison to Fahd’s 23-year rule.

Before the new decree, a question arose about which of the younger generation of royals would become crown prince. There are believed to be some 6,000 Saudi princes, dozens of whom are considered contenders in the line of succession.

Abdul-Aziz had 36 sons, and succession used to go by seniority. The law stated only that the next king should come from among the most competent of his sons.