* Saudi ruling family keen to avoid full blown power struggle * Top two in the hierarchy are old, doubts about health * Pressure is on to fix biggest succession challenge for 50 years By Angus McDowall RIYADH, March 30 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's appointment of Prince Muqrin as deputy crown prince is a first step towards addressing its biggest dynastic challenge for 50 years and forestalling a possible succession crisis in the world's top oil exporter. The ruling al-Saud family is fast approaching the moment when it must decide how to jump down a generation from a line of brothers born to the country's founder King Abdulaziz to their sons and nephews, a process fraught with difficulty. There should be clarity and there should be a correct approach to succession," said Khaled al-Maeena, editor at large of Saudi Gazette, an English-language daily.
03-31-2014, 03:41 AM
Saudi dynasty moves to forestall succession crisis
العرض الشجري