Special to WorldTribune.com

ABU DHABI — On the day before the visit by U.S. President Barack Obama, Saudi Arabia has named its deputy prime minister to a position that placed him in line for the monarchy.

King Abdullah has appointed Deputy Prime Minister Prince Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz to deputy crown prince.

Under the appointment, Muqrin, also a former intelligence director, would be third in line to the throne.

“King Abdullah appoints Prince Muqrin as king in case the positions of king and crown prince become vacant,” the royal court said.

In a statement on March 27, the royal court did not elaborate. In 2013, Muqrin was appointed deputy prime minister, a position reserved for those being prepared for crown prince.

Western diplomats said the 68-year-old Muqrin, the youngest son of Saudi founder King Abdul Aziz, marked a compromise candidate amid the struggle between the second generation of princes. They said the appointment came after more than a year of a power struggle between the sons of the king and those of the late Crown Prince Sultan.

“The members of the Allegiance Council expressed their opinion on the
appointment of Prince Muqrin as deputy crown prince upon consent from both
myself and Crown Prince Salman,” Abdullah said.

Muqrin was deemed an administrator responsible for the daily operations
of government amid a rapidly aging Saudi leadership. The king was said to be
close to 100 and hardly functioning while the 78-year-old Salman was
afflicted with dementia.

“The appointment of Muqrin was Abdullah’s way of telling the younger
princes to stop their power struggle because the next king has already been
decided,” a diplomat said.

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