Saudi King Loses Power To Choose Successor

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 2-10-2007 | HughMiles

[blam]

Saudi king loses power to choose successor

By Hugh Miles
Last Updated: 1:53am GMT 10/02/2007

Until now, the king alone has selected his successor

Saudi Arabia has significantly reduced the powers of its absolute monarchy by quietly removing the king's authority to choose his own successor.

This landmark constitutional reform, enacted by royal order last October but only disclosed this week, fundamentally changes the way the desert kingdom – which controls 25 per cent of the world's oil – is governed.

Until now, the king alone has selected his successor, known as the crown prince, from among the sons and grandsons of King Abdul-Aziz, the founding leader of Saudi Arabia, better known as Ibn Saud.

In future, a committee consisting of senior members of the royal family, called the Bay'ah Council, will vote for the crown prince from three candidates named by the king.

The council is empowered to reject the king's choice and can even impose a crown prince against the monarch's will. It can also declare the king or crown prince incapable of ruling.

"What makes this change important is that, in addition to taking the final decision about who rules out of the king's hands and institutionalising it, it brings stability to the succession process," said Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former Saudi ambassador to London and Washington.

Disclosing the reform in a lecture at St Anthony's College, Oxford, Prince Turki added: "The council, which will be chaired by the oldest son of the kingdom's founder, will make decisions by majority vote on a secret ballot."

Prince Turki said the monarchy had "opened the door for more participatory values in Saudi Arabia, in areas such as shared decision-making, and checks and balances".

All 21 surviving sons of King Abdul-Aziz, plus representatives of sons deceased or incapable, will sit on the council. Women are excluded from governance in Saudi Arabia.

The new selection process is expected to be used only after the current crown prince, Sultan, who has served as defence minister for almost 45 years, has become king.

The reigning King Abdullah is probably 84 years old and Crown Prince Sultan is about 83, although their exact dates of birth are uncertain.

Until now, the interior minister, Prince Nayef, had been expected to become king after Sultan. This will almost certainly not happen. Prince Nayef, who is about 74, is a deeply conservative figure regarded as one of the principal obstacles to reform.

Under the new system, if Abdullah dies before Sultan, Sultan will still succeed him, but the next crown prince will be selected by the new procedure.

King Abdullah established the new council by royal order on Oct 20 last year. Under the new system, Prince Turki himself, who was Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief before his ambassadorial appointments, is a credible candidate for crown prince.

He resigned abruptly from his post as ambassador in Washington last year for unexplained reasons.

Other possible candidates for the throne from the younger generation include Prince Muhammad bin Fahd, governor of the oil-rich Eastern Province, and Prince Khalid bin Sultan, son of the defence minister.

[TruthConquers]

I do not believe it would lead to stability.

Wouldn't this create more infighting amongst the royals?
That could be a good thing, though.

[Codename - Ron Benjamin]

"In future, a committee consisting of senior members of the royal family, called the Bay'ah Council, will vote for the crown prince from three candidates named by the king."

So then the king only has to choose wisely to nominate two unelectables, then...

[Straight Vermonter]

Looking at the ages of the particpants I can't help but think of the end of the Soviet Union. They had a succession of old guys who had been around during the revolution. Then when they finally passed the torch to a member of the younger generation (Gorbachev) the whole thing fell apart.

I wonder if the same will happen in the Saudi kingdom.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

Enlightenment thinking on constitutional checks of the Kings authority is finally penetrating the heart of the Arab Middle East.

[McGavin999]

Actually, I think the new king is quite a good guy.

[ClaireSolt]

Does everyone on the council have to be an eunuch? LOL

[Cheburashka]

Your impression is right on target. My understanding of the situation is this:

King Abdul-Aziz, who founded the Saudi Arabia, set it up that his sons would succeed to the throne in birth order. No one outside the royal family itself knows how many sons he had, but it seems to be upwards of fifty. Some succeeded to the throne, some died before succeeding, some renounced their right to the throne. Supposedly the youngest son now alive is 62 years old. With 21 sons still surviving, continuing the succession would mean thirty more years of geriatric kings, until the last son died. And if the king is too old to actually do the ruling, someone else has to do the day-to-day work of ruling the kingdom anyway.

This council is supposed to be composed of the surviving sons or their representatives. Probably what has been worked out is that the remaining sons will get a say in deciding who becomes king, but not necessarily succeed themselves. This way younger and more vigorous princes from the grandchildren and great-grandchildren will come to the throne faster. Whether this will actually work is another matter.

[Santiago de la Vega]

The running dogs of the house of Saud should be stripped of their power, their oil, and their land.

Saudi delendum est.

[goldstategop]

What it means is the family still selects the king. Its much ado about nothing. Saudi Arabia is still a closed absolutist society ruled by Koranic fiat.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus