|
|
Prince Salman bin Abdul-Aziz. (AP)
|
Riyadh, June 18 (AP): Saudi Arabia’s ruling family named defence minister Prince Salman bin Abdul-Aziz is the country’s new crown prince today — an expected nod that leaves power still within an ageing and shrinking circle of leaders in one of the West's most critical West Asia allies.
The royal decree came the day after the burial of the late heir to the throne, Prince Nayef, who died last week in Geneva and was the crown prince only since November. Prince Salman, 76, is the third successor for the 88-year-old King Abdullah in the past year.
It reflects the issues of health and age that will one day turn control of the oil giant to a younger generation, as the West Asia is shaken by political upheavals and calls for change that have so far been held back by Gulf leaders.
Salman served for more than four decades in the influential post of governor of Riyadh, the capital, and is the patriarch of family businesses that include stakes in the pan-Arab daily newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat, an important media tool for Saudi’s rulers.
Nayef was considered wary of even the modest changes brought by King Abdullah, including pledges to allow women to vote and run in the next municipal elections in 2015. Salman is also viewed as a traditionalist, but not deeply tied to the ultraconservative Islamic religious establishment.
|
