A commission called the Succession Commission shall be formed pursuant to a Royal Order as follows:

• 1. The sons of the Founder-King Abdulaziz ibn Abdurrahman Al-Faisal AlSaud.

• 2. A son of every deceased, declining, or incapacitated (as per a medical report) to be appointed by the King from among the sons of the FounderKing Abdulaziz ibn Abdurrahman Al-Faisal Al-Saud, provided that he is known for his righteousness and competence.

• 3. Two members to be appointed by the King, one from among his sons and the other from the sons of the Crown Prince, provided that they are known for their righteousness and competence.

And if the place of any member of the Succession Commission becomes vacant, the King shall appoint a substitute in accordance with the conditions referred to in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this Article.

The Commission shall exercise the duties entrusted to it in accordance with this Law and the Basic Law of Governance.

The Commission shall adhere to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet, Muhammad may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, maintain the State’s entity, uphold the solidarity and cooperation of the royal family, and guard against its dissention, and preserve national unity and the interests of the people.

The seat of the Commission shall be in the city of Riyadh and its meetings shall be held at the Royal Court, and they may be held, with the King’s approval, at any of the Royal Courts in the Kingdom or any other place specified by the King.

The Commission’s chairman, members, and secretary general shall take the following oath before the King and prior to assuming their duties in the Commission:

“I swear to Allah God Almighty to be loyal to my Religion, then to my King and Country. I swear not to reveal any of the State’s secrets, to protect its interests and laws, to safeguard the solidarity and cooperation of the royal family and national unity, and to discharge my duties with honesty, integrity, sincerity, and fairness.”

Upon the King’s death, the Commission shall call for the pledge of allegiance to the Crown Prince as King of the country in accordance with this Law and the Basic Law of Governance.

A. After receiving the pledge of allegiance and after consultation with members of the Commission, the King shall nominate one, two, or three candidates from among those he deems fit to be Crown Prince. Such nomination shall be brought before the Commission which shall exert effort to agree on one nominee to be named Crown Prince. In case the Commission does not nominate any of them, then it shall nominate whomever it deems fit to be Crown Prince.

B. The King may at any time ask the Commission to nominate whom it deems fit to be Crown Prince. In case the King does not approve the Commission’s nominee in accordance with paragraphs (a) or (b) of this Article, the Commission shall vote on its nominee and another chosen by the King, and the one with the majority of votes shall be named Crown Prince.

A nominee for Crown Prince must satisfy the provisions of Article 5(b) of the Basic Law of Governance.

The Crown Prince shall be chosen in accordance with the provision of Article 7 within a period not exceeding 30 days from the date of the pledge of allegiance to the King.

The Commission shall form a provisional council for governance from five of its members. The Council shall run the State’s affairs temporarily in the cases provided for in this Law.

However, the Council shall in no case have the power to amend the Basic Law of Governance, this Law, the Law of the Council of Ministers, the Law of the Shura Council, the Law of Provinces, the Law of the National Security Council, or any other law relating to governance, nor to dissolve or reconstitute the Council of Ministers or the Shura Council. The Council shall, during the transitional period, safeguard the unity of the State, its internal and external interests, and its laws.