Saudi King May Relinquish Throne To Crown Prince Within 48 Hours: Reports
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
Nov 9, 2017
Multiple reports and rumors currently abound that the ailing king Salman could elevate his son Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the throne at any moment (or rather, it looks like bin Salman is set to seize the throne) after a shocking week of events following the so-called “corruption purge” that left the kingdom in a rare moment of internal political chaos and which further sent geopolitical shock waves through the region, most especially in Lebanon.
Though a transfer of power to the crown prince has long been predicted and expected, especially after a lesser known round of mass arrests targeting well-known Saudi clerics took place in September, this week’s events point to a final “house cleaning” purge in preparation for bin Salman’s likely imminent ascent.
After the September arrests against clerics who were largely seen as regime insiders, yet who were mildly critical of the new aggressive stance against Qatar, the WSJ quoted an adviser to the Saudi government as saying, “Mohammed bin Salman is definitely preparing to become king. He wants to tackle the internal debate about him becoming the king and focus on consolidating his power, rather than doing that while being distracted by dissidents.”
During the September crackdown, which is currently receiving little commentary in relation to last weekend’s turmoil, over 30 prominent political figures were detained, most of them clerics with large social media followings and broad influence in the Arab world. The WSJ further noted at that time that…
The government has denied an abdication is planned, but several people close to the royal family say preparations have already started. The transfer of power, which several people close to the royal family had expected to occur this month, is likely to take place late this year or early next year, these people say.
The Rest…HERE
