Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, whose ill 84-year-old father King Salman was hospitalized in July, will likely take control of the kingdom before US elections this November, reports say.
Nabbed Nowairah, an independent researcher of the Gulf Arab has stated that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is expected to ascend to the throne by the end of the year 2020.
Some sources believe the shift could even occur within the upcoming months left for 2020, Nowairah told Asia Times.
Having been hospitalized for inflammation of the gallbladder, King Salman is not believed to be on his deathbed.
Yet, considering his deteriorating health and the upcoming US elections, the 34-year-old crown prince may take the crown as a way to ensure a smooth transfer of power.
According to Nowairah, the crown prince, who is usually referred to with his initials MBS, has moved to edge out his most serious competitors for the thrown, making any attempt coming from someone other than him a “suicide mission.”
Abdullah Aloud, a Saudi researcher and visiting professor at George Washington University isn’t very fond of the crowning of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
“MBS, not even the most senior among his own brothers, lacks the tradition of the kingdom’s foundations, and he knows it very well, and that’s part of his paranoia,” Aloud told Asia Times.