Naharnet Exclusive: Prince Salman Strongest Candidate to Succeed Prince Nayef

Information obtained by Naharnet said that King Abdullah will chair the Allegiance Council in the upcoming two days to choose the new crown prince after the death of Nayef bin Abdulaziz on Saturday in Geneva.

Reports said that prince Salman, the half-brother of the prince Nayef and who is the current defense minister, appears to be a strong candidate.

Deputy interior minister Prince Ahmed will take over the interior ministry while prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz will be appointed as his deputy.

Prince Nayef, a long-serving interior minister, "died outside" Saudi Arabia having recently left the Gulf state for medical treatment, said a statement carried by state media.

His funeral would be held on Sunday after sunset prayers in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, western Saudi Arabia, after his body is repatriated, it added.

Nayef, interior minister since 1975, was appointed crown prince in October after the death of his elder brother and the previous heir Crown Prince Sultan.

However, no official news would be obtained before the meeting of the allegiance council after the funeral on Sunday.

The monarch established in 2006 the allegiance council, a body of 30-odd senior princes, as a new succession mechanism aimed in the long term to choose the crown prince.