JORDAN'S KING ABDULLAH NAMES HIS TEENAGE SON

S E C R E T AMMAN 001507 SIPDIS NOFORN E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM JO SUBJECT: JORDAN'S KING ABDULLAH NAMES HIS TEENAGE SON HUSSEIN AS CROWN PRINCE REF: A. AMMAN 1340 ¶B. 04 AMMAN 9486 Classified By: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (S/NF) Summary: King Abdullah designated his eldest son Hussein as Crown Prince on July 2. Most saw the move as inevitable, as the throne was already set to pass to Hussein according to the line of succession laid out in Jordan's constitution. Our contacts had no strong opinions about the new Crown Prince, as the high school sophomore has largely been kept out of the public eye. Press commentary was strictly factual and free of commentary. No regent was named to take on the King's responsibilities in the event that he dies before Hussein can legally inherit the throne. End Summary. Crown Prince Named -------------- ¶2. (U) King Abdullah officially designated his fifteen year-old son Hussein as Crown Prince late in the day on July ¶2. According to Jordan's constitution, Hussein was already the de facto holder of this title, as the crown automatically passes to the eldest male descendant of the King. ¶3. (SBU) The move was long anticipated. Online news sites and the Amman rumor mill expected that the King would announce the designation during the celebrations marking the ten-year anniversary of his rule on June 9 -- an assumption that turned out to be false (Ref A). There is little indication of why the King chose to make the announcement at this time or in the relatively quiet manner of a royal decree released after close of business at the end of the work week rather than with a public ceremony or speech. Reaction Muted -------------- ¶4. (S/NF) A straw poll of contacts at Embassy Amman's Independence Day celebration elicited few strong opinions. The bespectacled Hussein has been largely kept from the public eye, appearing only in official family photographs with his three siblings. Few of our contacts have ever met him or know anything about him. Most saw the move as inevitable, and some commented that the King's designation of a Crown Prince shows that he is confident and politically secure enough to definitively settle any dynastic questions. ¶5. (U) Official news sources reported a stream of congratulatory telegrams from regional rulers, government officials, and tribal leaders. The press also reported the contents of letters from the King's full brother Prince Feisal, his half brother Prince Ali, and his cousin Prince Ghazi. Most reporting on the subject was factual and free of any commentary, focusing on the constitutional inevitability of the move. Speculation On Potential Regents -------------- ¶6. (S/NF) For the next three years, the role of regent will be closely watched. According to Jordan's constitution, Hussein can only claim the monarchy when he turns eighteen. If King Abdullah dies before that time, a regent or a regency council would rule in his place. The post of regent remains empty -- no official announcement designating one accompanied the naming of Hussein as Crown Prince. If the King dies without naming a regent or regency council, the constitution empowers the council of ministers to name one on behalf of the royal family. ¶7. (S/NF) Jordan had been without a Crown Prince since November 28, 2004, when King Abdullah's half brother Hamza was stripped of the title (Ref B). Many Jordanians still see this as a betrayal of King Hussein's deathbed wish that one of Queen Noor's sons also be in line for the throne. King Abdullah appoints regents from among his siblings on a rotating basis whenever he leaves the country, and many of our contacts have noted that since 2004 Hamza has rarely been named regent. Beecroft