Saudi Arabia’s influential Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been appointed head of the Council of Ministers. This emerges from a decree by King Salman published by the Saudi state news agency Spa. The 37-year-old was appointed as part of a government reshuffle, it said. So far, King Salman has held the office, as the post is traditionally held by the monarch.
The move sparked fresh speculation about the health of the 86-year-old Saudi king. He has had to be hospitalized twice this year, according to the palace. Salman has been the head of the royal family since 2015.
Crown Prince Mohammed, also known as MbS, previously held the posts of Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister. The new defense minister will be his younger brother, Khalid bin Salman, who previously held the post of deputy.
The new Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman (archive image)
Even before the cabinet reshuffle, Mohammed was considered the actual ruler of Saudi Arabia. The Gulf state is the world’s largest oil exporter and a key US ally in the Middle East. Four years ago, however, the brutal murder of the Saudi journalist and government critic Jamal Khashoggi in the country’s consulate general in Istanbul led to an international ostracism of Mohammed. The American secret service blames the crown prince for the murder. He denies being the mastermind behind the action.
Crown Prince Mohammed is socially acceptable again
Since the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine, the Gulf state and with it the heir to the throne have been back on the world political stage – also due to the lack of oil and gas supplies. In mid-July, US President Joe Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia. At the end of July, the Crown Prince was a guest of French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, and a few days ago Mohammed received Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Jeddah.
se/fab (rtr, afp)
