Saudi king names son his heir in place of nephew

Iran terms it a ‘soft coup’; security chief also changed

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman ousted his nephew as crown prince on Wednesday and installed his son Mohammed bin Salman, capping a meteoric rise for the 31-year-old that puts him one step from the throne.

The young prince already wielded huge power before he was named heir, spearheading a sweeping economic and social reform programme for the kingdom.His rise comes at a crucial time for Saudi Arabia as it is locked in a conflict with Iran, bogged down in a controversial military intervention in Yemen and at loggerheads with fellow US Gulf ally Qatar.

His youth is a novelty for a country that is used to ageing leaders – Mohammed’s father is 81.His rapid ascent over the past two years has symbolised the hopes of the kingdom’s young population, more than half of which is under 25.

Footage aired on Saudi television channels showed Mohammed bin Salman kissing the hand of his ousted cousin Mohammed bin Nayef and kneeling in front of the older prince, who patted his shoulder to congratulate him.

“I am going to rest now. May God help you,” the former crown prince said, to which his replacement replied: “May God help you. I will never do without your advice.”

The king called on governors and other princes to pledge allegiance to his new heir and ordered a ceremony after night prayers on Wednesday at a royal palace in Makkah.

Many ordinary citizens tweeted their allegiance.The king accompanied his son’s elevation with several measures to woo the many Saudis who are government employees, either civilian or military.

He ordered the reinstatement of all civil service benefits cut as part of an austerity package earlier this year.He also extended the Eid Al-Fitr holidays until July 9 for all public sector employees.As deputy crown prince, the new heir to the throne already held multiple posts.

He is the main champion of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform plan which aims to bring social and economic change to the oil-dependent economy of a country.The Saudi stock market rose four percent on news that the king had named him as crown prince and that the exchange had moved closer to joining a major global index.

Meanwhile, Iranian state media called the appointment of Mohammed Bin Salman to the position of crown prince and successor to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman as a “soft coup”.“Soft coup in Saudi Arabia/son becomes the succesor of the father,” read the headline on the Iranian state TV website.

The move is likely to rattle Iran’s leadership,which has been critical of comments by Prince Mohammed last month that the “battle” should be taken into Iran.Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s new interior minister, until now a little-known 33-year-old law graduate, replaces his veteran uncle as security chief.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef was appointed on Wednesday to replace Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who was stripped of his positions and removed as second in line to the throne of S Arabia.

Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 57, who was wounded in an al-Qaeda assassination attempt in 2009, put down an al Qaeda bombing campaign and kept close ties to the US intelligence community where he had a reputation as safe and reliable.

A son of the late Crown Prince Nayef who had served as interior minister since 1975 until his death from a heart attack in 2012, Prince Mohammed had been closely identified with the formidable and effective security structure built by his father.

His replacement by his nephew sidelines Prince Mohammed but keeps the security file in the hands of the Nayef branch of the Al Saud family, which is likely to reassure other royals as power is increasingly consolidated by King Salman and his son.