Saudi de-facto ruler Mohammad Bin Salman finds his position safer following a royal designation as the Saudi prime minister. Saudi Prime minister role is traditionally held by the king.
In a government reorganization, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been appointed the Saudi prime minister. The new order has been issued by the Saudi King Salman, based on a formal proclamation that was made public yesterday by the local media.
The biggest international supplier of oil is already under the de facto leadership of the Saudi Prince. His position as head of the kingdom’s government is now official thanks to the fresh designation.
The crown prince, whose initials are MBS, has held the positions of defense minister and deputy prime minister in his record. His junior brother, Khalid bin Salman, who formerly served as deputy defense minister, will now serve as defense minister in his stead.
All other key ministers, including Prince Faisal, the minister of foreign affairs, were confirmed in their positions by the royal order. Khalid al-Falih, the minister of investments, and Mohammed al-Jadaan, the minister of finance, will both hold the same office.
The Saudi King maintains the kingdom’s gradual but consistent transfer of authority by installing Bin Salman as prime minister. The king has historically and customarily held the position of premier.
The rationale for the nomination was not disclosed in the royal proclamation on Tuesday. However, according to local media, the monarch will keep presiding over cabinet meetings that he oversees. So, the monarch will continue to be the head of state.
The monarch was hospitalized four months ago for checkups and medical care, according to Saudi sources. The economy, defense, oil, and internal security were just a few of the important areas that the 37-year-old crown prince already oversaw.
Saudi Prime Minister
Prince Mohammed unveiled Saudi Arabian vision for the future, known officially as Vision 2030, six years ago. The kingdom aims to become the financial superpower, the center of the Arab and Islamic world, and a crossroads for three continents according to the Vision.
The plan aims to reduce the economy’s reliance on oil by privatizing and diversifying it. The program also intends to set up an e-government infrastructure by the end of the decade.
Following his tenure as defense minister, MBS was named heir to the throne in 2017.
Leading Operation Decisive Storm was his most famous action while serving as defense minister. The operation, which began in March 2015, was a Saudi-led coalition intervention in Yemen against the Houthi movement.
To offset the rise of Iran, a rival regional power, Bin Salman has also been promoting a more confrontational foreign policy.
Since he ascended to power, MbS has drastically altered Saudi Arabian societal environment. He oversaw initiatives to lessen the influence of the clergy in society, legalize driving for women, and broaden the economy away from its reliance on oil.
However, his initiatives have been accompanied by a harsh crackdown on opponents and dissenters. Entrepreneurs, royal family, women’s rights advocates, and campaigners were imprisoned or subjected to arbitrary detention.
On MbS’s direction, four ministers, eleven princes, and a number of well-known businesspeople were imprisoned late in 2017. The action was justified as a campaign against corruption. The measures, nevertheless, specifically targeted several of his main opponents, which strengthened the prince’s hold on the throne of the country.
The new Saudi Prime Minister welcomed US President Joe Biden in July. It was an effort to mend strained bilateral ties with Washington following the murder of Saudi journalist. Jamal Khashoggi was killed on October 2, 2018.
