The illness of 86-year-old King Abdullah has fueled speculations over the potential successor to Saudi Arabia's monarch.
The following is the transcript of Press TV's interview with Ali al-Ahmed, Director of IGA (Institute for [Persian] Gulf Affairs) about the issue:
Press TV: There are conflicting reports about the health conditions of the Saudi monarch King Abdullah. The 86-year-old king has curtailed his activities since June with no clear explanation and he failed to attend a recent cabinet meeting. What do we know about the health of the ailing king?
Ahmed: The king of Saudi Arabia, as you know, is 86 years old and very fragile in health. So, he is not able to conduct vigorous activities. Although the latest incident has really turned out to be minimal, because today he has been seen on TV at a meeting with some people and he was even joking around.
Despite the fact that he is not healthy, his ability to conduct government affairs has impacted the country's situation. You see the country is a leading supplier of oil to the world, but it has extreme poverty. The number of poor people in Saudi Arabia is larger than (that of) the other [Arab] countries of the [Persian] Gulf combined, and unemployment is above 30 percent and corruption in the country is massive and every citizen can attest to that.
So, because of the ... (advanced) age of the leaders … , who have real power and their age has led to the deterioration of the situation in the country, [it may lead] to increasing the struggle for power among the ruling family.
Press TV: Crown Prince Sultan, who is also in his 80s, has been abroad for unspecified health treatment for much of the last two years. Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz is seemingly the candidate to fill the power vacuum if the ailing king and his crown prince fail to perform their duties. At the same time, there are reports that former Saudi Ambassador to the US, Prince Bandar Sultan, has returned to Riyadh after four years when he went missing. How serious is a power struggle within the monarchy?
Ahmed: Let me tell you something about Nayef Sultan first. Nayef Sultan is basically done with. He is very sick and he has been addicted to prescription drugs from many years ago and he has completely lost his power influence within the ruling family.
My analysis is that his standing with the family is over. He does not have power. There are new players [such as] the son of the minister of interior, Mohammad bin Nayef, the ruler of the eastern province, and the sons of king Abdullah. They are playing an increasing role into the power struggle.
The [whole] Saudi state has always had a power struggle. King Saud, as many of us remember, was removed by his brothers and King Feisal was assassinated by his nephew, and King Khalid was controlled by his brother King Saad. So, there is always a struggle. Sometimes the struggle takes on a violent means and sometimes it is a silent struggle. But the struggle is there -- and it is very obvious -- between Sultan Abdullah and Nayeb ... and we do not know the outcome. But the power struggle might also bring non-al-Saud players.
Press TV: You talked about how volatile the past has been for the Saudi monarchy, and how the power has basically passed or (been) taken away most of the time with violence, although there is an exception. How fragile is the situation right now? How likely is it that a power outside the realm that would be considered the norm, would actually come into this picture and possibly take over...?
Ahmed: It is very hard to say, but right now the power has concentrated on the elderly leaders of the ruling family. So, if they are gone or die overnight, the power vacuum will become available and somebody might take advantage of that vacuum -- and it could be the military or somebody from the outside. We do not know. It is really ambiguous at this time.
ASH/TG/HRF
The following is the transcript of Press TV's interview with Ali al-Ahmed, Director of IGA (Institute for [Persian] Gulf Affairs) about the issue:
Press TV: There are conflicting reports about the health conditions of the Saudi monarch King Abdullah. The 86-year-old king has curtailed his activities since June with no clear explanation and he failed to attend a recent cabinet meeting. What do we know about the health of the ailing king?
Ahmed: The king of Saudi Arabia, as you know, is 86 years old and very fragile in health. So, he is not able to conduct vigorous activities. Although the latest incident has really turned out to be minimal, because today he has been seen on TV at a meeting with some people and he was even joking around.
Despite the fact that he is not healthy, his ability to conduct government affairs has impacted the country's situation. You see the country is a leading supplier of oil to the world, but it has extreme poverty. The number of poor people in Saudi Arabia is larger than (that of) the other [Arab] countries of the [Persian] Gulf combined, and unemployment is above 30 percent and corruption in the country is massive and every citizen can attest to that.
So, because of the ... (advanced) age of the leaders … , who have real power and their age has led to the deterioration of the situation in the country, [it may lead] to increasing the struggle for power among the ruling family.
Press TV: Crown Prince Sultan, who is also in his 80s, has been abroad for unspecified health treatment for much of the last two years. Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz is seemingly the candidate to fill the power vacuum if the ailing king and his crown prince fail to perform their duties. At the same time, there are reports that former Saudi Ambassador to the US, Prince Bandar Sultan, has returned to Riyadh after four years when he went missing. How serious is a power struggle within the monarchy?
Ahmed: Let me tell you something about Nayef Sultan first. Nayef Sultan is basically done with. He is very sick and he has been addicted to prescription drugs from many years ago and he has completely lost his power influence within the ruling family.
My analysis is that his standing with the family is over. He does not have power. There are new players [such as] the son of the minister of interior, Mohammad bin Nayef, the ruler of the eastern province, and the sons of king Abdullah. They are playing an increasing role into the power struggle.
The [whole] Saudi state has always had a power struggle. King Saud, as many of us remember, was removed by his brothers and King Feisal was assassinated by his nephew, and King Khalid was controlled by his brother King Saad. So, there is always a struggle. Sometimes the struggle takes on a violent means and sometimes it is a silent struggle. But the struggle is there -- and it is very obvious -- between Sultan Abdullah and Nayeb ... and we do not know the outcome. But the power struggle might also bring non-al-Saud players.
Press TV: You talked about how volatile the past has been for the Saudi monarchy, and how the power has basically passed or (been) taken away most of the time with violence, although there is an exception. How fragile is the situation right now? How likely is it that a power outside the realm that would be considered the norm, would actually come into this picture and possibly take over...?
Ahmed: It is very hard to say, but right now the power has concentrated on the elderly leaders of the ruling family. So, if they are gone or die overnight, the power vacuum will become available and somebody might take advantage of that vacuum -- and it could be the military or somebody from the outside. We do not know. It is really ambiguous at this time.
ASH/TG/HRF
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