Haitham bin Tariq, Oman's culture minister and the 65-year-old cousin of late Sultan Qaboos, has been sworn in as the new royal ruler of the country, the government said Saturday. The decision was announced in a tweet by the government's official handle.
Sultan Qaboos, the longest-reigning leader of the modern Arab world died heirless on Friday at the age of 79. Qaboos was also unmarried.
The high military council asked the royal family to convene and choose an heir.
Haitham, a sports enthusiast, was head of Oman's football federation in the early 80s.
He also has held the position of undersecretary of the ministry of foreign affairs for political affairs before becoming the minister of heritage and culture in the mid-1990s.
Analysts had expected the throne to go to Asad bin Tariq, another cousin, who was appointed deputy prime minister for international relations and cooperation affairs in 2017. This was seen as an encouraging sign for him to be named Sultan later by experts.
Qaboos, the Sultan who reformed Oman
Qaboos bin-Said is known to have reformed Oman's image from being a poverty-stricken country torn by dissent into a prosperous nation, considered to be a trusted mediator for the regions most difficult issues.
Qaboos, it appears had written two names in two letters to be his heir and the family, following the late Sultan's instructions, chose Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, one of the names after taking into consideration Haitham's "his wisdom and vision", as mentioned in the Sultan's letter.
Qaboos took over as Sultan after overthrowing his father in a coup. He aimed to use the nation's oil income for its development and modernization.
Qaboos, who was known as 'the renaissance' by his countrymen for investing in the nation's infrastructure had also healed old rifts in a country long divided between a conservative tribal interior and seafaring coastal region.
Analysts now worry of family discord and fear that some nations like Saudi Arabia and UAE to be opportunistic of the instabilities caused by it.
While under Qaboos' reign, Oman has helped to mediate talks between the US and Iran in 2013, that led to a historic international nuclear pact two years later.