Heir to Saudi Arabia Passes Away

Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, the 83-year-old defense minister, passed away on Saturday as he was the heir to become King of Saudi Arabia. “With deep sorrow and sadness … King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz mourns the death of his brother and his Crown Prince Sultan who died at dawn this morning Saturday outside the kingdom following an illness,” the Saudi state press agency said.

The most likely candidate to replace Sultan as the successor is the powerful interior minister, Prince Nayef, who is in charge of the internal security forces and close to the Islamic ultra-conservatives. He was also directly involved in the decision to send Saudi troops to neighboring Bahrain to quell the pro-democracy demonstrations that began in March.

However, for the first time the appointment will likely come from the new family Allegiance Council, which will weigh a number of candidates to determine a suitable fit for King. “The problem is (the Allegiance Council) is a secret organization that consists of members of the royal family and Saudi society has no say,” said Madawi al-Rashid, “Some sections of Saudi Arabia are worried. Nayef is known for security solutions. His rhetoric always invokes the sword.”