King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Hospitalized for Pneumonia



 
 
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is hospitalised in a military hospital in Saudi Arabia for experiencing shortness of breath and back pains. The Saudi Royal Court said medical tests showed the king had a respiratory infection. 


A Royal Court statement says that his condition is stabilized with the help of breathing tube.

The health of the monarch is of extreme importance in the kingdom, where Abdullah holds absolute powers to enact laws and appoint ministers. His condition is also watched internationally largely due to the country's role as one of the world's largest oil exporters, as well as regionally where the kingdom has used its influence to counter the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood group and Shiite Iran.

Abdullah officially assumed the throne in 2005, but has largely been seen as the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia since the mid-1990s. He reportedly underwent back surgeries in 2010 in New York City, and in October 2011 and November 2012 in Saudi Arabia.

The monarch received President Barack Obama in March and appeared before the press wearing an oxygen tube. Official photographs of the king have also shown him in a wheelchair. These confirms the not-so-good condition of the monarch’s health.

In an effort to assuage concerns about continuity and stability in the kingdom, 69 year-old Prince Muqrin was appointed deputy crown prince and second-in-line to the throne last year. He is the youngest surviving son of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdulaziz Al Saud.


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