World dignitaries are arriving in Saudi Arabia to offer condolences for the death of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, whose successor is yet to be named.
US Vice President Joe Biden, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak were among the world leaders heading to the Saudi capital to offer condolences yesterday.
The body of Prince Sultan, who died on Saturday in a New York hospital, was repatriated to Riyadh late yesterday for a subdued funeral today, in line with strict Islamic traditions applied in the ultra-conservative kingdom.
Saudi state TV Al-Ekhbariya aired live pictures from Riyadh air base where Sultan’s body was taken from the plane in an ambulance.
Ailing King Abdullah, 87, on a wheelchair and wearing a surgical mask, was at the base to receive the crown prince’s body, TV footage showed. It is the first time that the seat of the heir to the throne becomes vacant in the history of the oil-rich Gulf state.
Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, a half-brother of King Abdullah and the kingdom’s internal security czar who has held the interior portfolio for over three decades, is touted as Prince Sultan’s most likely successor as heir.
King Abdullah, who is also the Prime Minister, had in 2009 appointed Prince Nayef, 78, as second deputy premier, in a move interpreted as putting him in line for the throne.
Sultan was the second deputy prime minister until the then crown prince Abdullah acceded to the throne in 2005.
Prince Sultan’s death comes also after King Abdullah created in 2006 the Allegiance Council, comprised of 35 princes charged with deciding together with the reigning King who will be crown prince.
“The rules of the Allegiance Council stipulate that the crown prince would be chosen by the council,” said Fahd al-Harthi, head of the Riyadh-based ASBAR Centre for Studies, Research and Communications.
“But the royal decree of this system has stated that the current king and crown prince are not forced to abide by this regulation,” he told AFP.
People in the region’s power house sounded at ease about the issue of succession, with some hailing Prince Nayef, known for being a conservative, as the best choice.
“I believe that Prince Nayef will be the next crown prince and this is a matter the Saudi people agree with, because the interior minister has a great experience in politics and security and we feel very comfortable with him,” in office, said Hamad al-Nasser, 45.
“It will not make s big difference whether the Allegiance Council system is activated now or not, because all are agreed on Prince Nayef,” added the public sector employee.
Ahmed Tayeb, 25, also sounded upbeat, expecting Prince Nayef to be chosen.