THREAD ON OMANI SUCCESSION.
Sultan Qaboos appointed a Prime Minister in 1970-71 (his uncle, Tariq bin Taimur) and married (briefly) in 1976 but did not have issue. It is the sons of Tariq bin Taimur who are often spoken of as possible successors to Sultan Qaboos.
Sultan Qaboos appointed a Prime Minister in 1970-71 (his uncle, Tariq bin Taimur) and married (briefly) in 1976 but did not have issue. It is the sons of Tariq bin Taimur who are often spoken of as possible successors to Sultan Qaboos.
Oman's succession process is laid down in Articles 5 and 6 of the 1996 Basic Law – only Muslim male descendants of Sultan Turki bin Said (ruler 1871-88 and great-great grandfather of Sultan Qaboos) who are legitimate sons of Omani Muslim parents are eligible to become ruler
On the Sultan's death, the Ruling Family Council must meet within 3 days of the Sultan’s passing to designate a successor. Oman's Defense Council has convened and called on the family council to meet and select a successor.
If the Ruling Family Council fails to choose someone, the Defense Council, together with the chairmen of the State Council, the Supreme Court, and three of the court’s oldest deputies, will consult a letter written by Sultan Qaboos containing the name of his nominated successor.
In a 1997 interview with Judith Miller of the New York Times, Sultan Qaboos stated that he had “already written down two names, in descending order, and put them in sealed envelopes in two different regions.”
Speaking to board members of the Oman Journalist Association in June 2013, the minister responsible for foreign affairs, Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah made a rare public comment on the succession by claiming that there would be “no vacuum.”
For many, the likeliest candidates are three cousins of Sultan Qaboos – the sons of the former (short-lived) Prime Minister from 1970-71, Tariq bin Taimur (Sultan Qaboos’s uncle).
These are Asad bin Tariq, and his half-brothers Haitham bin Tariq and Shihab bin Tariq, while Asad’s own son Taimur bin Asad is spoken of as a potential wild-card (he is 39 but was close to the Sultan, who was himself only 29 when he acceded to power in 1970.)
Asad bin Tariq graduated (like Qaboos) from the Royal Military Academy (Sandhurst) in the UK, served as Brigadier-General in the Omani military, was briefly commander of the Sultan’s Armored Corps in the 1990s, and was the Sultan’s Personal Representative since 2002.
Haitham bin Tariq served as the Minister of National Heritage and Culture and previously as Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In December 2013, Sultan Qaboos appointed him chair of the main committee responsible for developing Oman 2040.
Shihab bin Tariq has served as Advisor to the Sultan since 2004 and commander of the Sultan of Oman’s Navy since 1990.
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In March 2017, Sultan Qaboos issued a royal decree naming Asad bin Tariq Deputy Prime Minister, suggesting that he may be the successor who takes over after Sultan Qaboos's remarkable 49 1/2 year rule.
