Saudi king settles question of succession to the throne

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has appointed defence minister Prince Salman as crown prince and heir apparent, ensuring a smooth succession at a time of tough challenges for the world’s biggest oil exporter.

The appointment was announced yesterday, one day after the burial of crown prince and interior minister Nayef, who died on Saturday, and means Abdullah’s cautious reforms are likely to be continued.

Salman, who is 76-years-old, becomes Abdullah’s third heir after the deaths of two elder brothers in the past eight months.

He has built a reputation for pragmatism and is likely to swiftly assume a substantial part of the day-to-day running of the kingdom given that Abdullah is 89.

Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, a younger brother of both Salman and Nayef, was named as the new interior minister after spending several decades as deputy interior minister.