King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has died at the age of 90 after suffering from a lung infection several weeks ago. Since 2005, King Abdullah had become the ruler of Saudi Arabia after the death of King Fahd. He was also the fifth among his brothers to take the throne. But after his death early Friday, his brother Salman became the nation's new leader.
After King Abdullah's death, BBC News revealed that Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the 79-year-old half-brother of the late king, has been confirmed to be the next throne successor. Salman will now take the titles of "King of Saudi Arabia," "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" and the "Head of the House of Saud."
Prior to becoming a king, Salman has been the kingdom's Minister of Defense since 2011. He was also the Governor of the province of Riyadh for over 5 deecades, from 1963 to 2011. He is also the full brother of late King Fahd, who was Saudi's ruler from 1982 until 2005.
As Salman assumes the responsibilities of being the kingdom's new ruler after King Abdullah's death, he will have to helm regional chaos caused by the wars in Iraq and Syria. Yahoo! News reported that he will also navigate along the hostile rivalry with Shi'ite Muslim power Iran and the unending threat from an al Qaeda wing in neighboring Yemen.
And within hours of Salman's succession to the throne, he pledged to maintain the same policies as his predecessors.
"We will continue adhering to the correct policies which Saudi Arabia has followed since its establishment," King Salman said in a speech broadcast on state television as quoted by The New York Times.
Following King Abdullah's death, Salman will be facing a number of challenges as the new ruler of Saudi Arabia. CNN cited the most predominant challenge for King Salman will be to ensure a smooth transition of power within the ruling family. While he became the king, his brother Prince Muqrin, who is a decade younger, is the new crowned prince.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's royal court did not disclose the exact cause of death of King Abdullah, which came weeks after he was admitted to a Riyadh hospital on Dec. 31 with an alleged lung infection. According to Reuters, the king's body will be wrapped in white and would be buried in an unmarked grave after resting in a mosque, where prayers would be led by Salman.
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