Death of Saudi Crown Prince; who is in charge?

“Saudi heir to throne Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz dies abroad after illness

By Associated Press, Updated: Saturday, October 22, 6:19 AM

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The heir to the Saudi throne, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz Al Saud, died abroad Saturday after an illness, state TV said. The death of the prince, who was in his 80s, opens questions about the succession in the critical, oil-rich U.S. ally.

Sultan was the half-brother of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, who has also been ailing and underwent back surgery last week.

The most likely candidate to replace Sultan as Abdullah’s successor is Prince Nayef, the powerful interior minister in charge of internal security forces. After Sultan fell ill, the king gave Nayef — also his half-brother — an implicit nod in 2009 by naming him second deputy prime minister, traditionally the post of the second in line to the throne.

The announcement did not say where outside the kingdom Sultan died or elaborate on his illness but Saudi official circles in Riyadh said he passed away at a hospital in New York. According to a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable from January 2010, Sultan had been receiving treatment for colon cancer since 2009.

Sultan, who was also the deputy prime minister and minister of defense and aviation, has had a string of health issues. He underwent surgery in New York in February 2009 for an undisclosed illness and spent nearly a year abroad recuperating in the United States and at a palace in Agadir, Morocco.

“It is with deep sorrow and grief that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz Al Saud mourns the loss of his brother and Crown Prince His Royal Highness Prince Sultan Abdel Aziz Al Saud,” the palace said. The statement, which was carried on the official Saudi Press Agency, added that Sultan’s funeral will be held on Tuesday afternoon in Riyadh at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque.

From Tajikistan, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed condolences on behalf of the American people and President Barack Obama.

“The crown prince was a strong leader and a good friend to the United States over many years as well as a tireless champion for his country. He will be missed,” said Clinton, who is on a Central Asia tour. “Our relationship with Saudi Arabia is strong and enduring and we will look forward to working with the leadership for many years to come.”

For the first time, however, the mechanism of picking the next crown prince is not entirely clear.

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 and nephews with a mandate to determine the succession.

That would open the choice up to a degree of debate with the top echelons of the royal family. Nayef, however, will still be the front-runner.

Traditionally the king names his successor. But Abdullah formed the council in order to modernize the process and give a wider voice to the choice. Saudi Arabia has been ruled since 1953 by the sons of its founder, King Abdul-Aziz, who had over 40 sons by multiple wives.

Anyone who rises to the throne is likely to maintain the kingdom’s close alliance with the United States. But it would have an internal impact. Abdullah has been seen as a reformer, making cautious changes to improve the position of women — such as granting them to right to vote in elections scheduled for 2015 — and seeking modernize the kingdom despite some backlash from the ultraconservative Wahhabi clerics who give the royal family the religious legitimacy needed to rule. Nayef, however, is often seen as closer to the clerics.”