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The strong Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, has been named prime minister, a position usually held by the king. The 86-year-old King Salman bin Abdulaziz’s 37-year-old son is already regarded as the de facto ruler of the Gulf state. His promotion from deputy prime minister and defence minister was announced by royal order, which cited a Basic Law exception.
According to a government official, the action was consistent with the king’s prior allocation of responsibility to him. The official stated that the crown prince’s new position as prime minister “is within the context of the crown prince already supervising the key executive bodies of the state on a daily basis.”
Mohammed bin Salman’s appointment “formalises his actual job and eliminates past etiquette difficulties of seniority with other heads of government,” according to Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the royal court, who also noted that “He ranks now as a head of government de jure, not only de facto.”
The monarch, who has undergone surgery twice this year, will continue to preside over cabinet meetings.
Prince Khalid bin Salman, another of his sons, was appointed as the next defence minister by the proclamation. In the world’s largest oil exporter, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman continues to hold the important position of energy minister.
This is a major step in terms of procedure that solidifies the generational transfer of power from the ailing and feeble King Salman to his preferred son. But practically speaking, not much has changed.
In a nation where the elder members of the ruling Al Saud family already have all the sway, the position of prime minister is essentially symbolic. Mohammed Bin Salman, in particular, holds a disproportionate amount of power inside the royal court. “MBS,” as he is known, has displayed ruthless political cunning since being appointed defence minister in 2015 and then crown prince in 2017.
With the approval of his father, he first took over administration of the National Guard, the interior ministry, and the armed forces. The former crown prince Mohammed Bin Nayef, who has spent his latter years essentially under house arrest, was the man America expected to be the next in line to the throne. However, he removed any potential rivals to his authority, both royal and non-royal, in a systematic manner.