Riyadh: Saudi Arabia`s appointment of Prince Muqrin as deputy crown prince is a first step towards addressing its biggest dynastic challenge for 50 years and forestalling a possible succession crisis in the world`s top oil exporter.
The ruling al-Saud family is fast approaching the moment when it must decide how to jump down a generation from a line of brothers born to the country`s founder King Abdulaziz to their sons and nephews, a process fraught with difficulty.
For a dynasty that now sees itself as governing a rare island of stability in a region aflame with conflict and political discord, and facing looming demographic challenges, that decision is growing increasingly urgent.
"There is no alternative. You have no choice. There should be clarity and there should be a correct approach to succession," said Khaled al-Maeena, editor at large of Saudi Gazette, an English-language daily.
Although any jostling for power among the 40-odd branches of King Abdulaziz`s descendents is kept carefully hidden behind the ornate doors of royal palaces, Saudis with royal connections say some members of the family worry about being sidelined.
But they are keen to avoid a full-blown internal power struggle of the kind that brought down two previous Saudi dynasties in the 18th and 19th centuries, and to prevent a repeat of the administrative paralysis 18 years ago when King Fahd was incapacitated by a stroke without formally passing on his powers.
"It`s putting the house in order because the king and the heir apparent are advanced in age and not in the best of health. Therefore it is a precautionary step to ensure that in case of need there is no vaccum and I think that is significant in and of itself," said Joseph Kechichian, a historian of Gulf Arab monarchies.
Abdullah looked well and sustained a vigorous two-hour discussion with Obama on Friday evening despite wearing an oxygen tube attached to his nose, U.S. officials said, but he rarely appears in public or conducts high level meetings with foreign leaders.
His heir, Crown Prince Salman, is already 78, while Muqrin, whose appointment was announced on Thursday, is thought to be 69.
As princes lined up on Sunday to pay allegiance to Muqrin, kissing him on the cheek under the chandeliers of Riyadh`s government palace in images broadcast by state media, Saudi social media feeds were abuzz with rumours of further moves.
His appointment bypassed Crown Prince Salman`s prerogative to choose his own heir upon taking power, and has prompted speculation of a wider deal between different wings of the family.
