Saudi Prince’s Death Raises Succession Questions - Bloomberg

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, is waiting for a successor to the crown prince as the ruling family gathers tomorrow for prayers after the death of Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The crown prince’s death on Oct. 22 has set in motion “a challenging moment for Saudi Arabia,” Tarik Yousef, a fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institute, said in an interview in Jordan. “It’s time to address succession questions and react quickly. Observers are anxious about a political vacuum.”

Prince Nayef, born in 1934, is the most likely royal for the crown prince role among other elderly candidates from the Al Saud family. King Abdullah, who is 87, left a hospital in Riyadh last week after undergoing surgery to relieve back pain. He travelled to the U.S. in November for three months of medical care.

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