Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz appointed both his sons as ministers in the kingdom. According to a royal decree on Tuesday, he designated his son and heir Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the kingdom’s prime minister and his second son Prince Khalid as defence minister.
Saudi King’s another son, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman was made energy minister, said the royal decree showed by state news agency SPA. However, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan and Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih did not change.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MbS, is given the new post from the earlier post of defence minister. He has been the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter and a major U.S. ally in the Middle East. A Saudi official said that prime minister’s position is significant to fulfill the king’s prior delegation of duties to him, which include representing the kingdom on diplomatic missions and serving as the summit’s chair.
“HRH the crown prince, based on the king’s orders, already supervises the main executive bodies of the state on a daily basis, and his new role as prime minister is within that context,” the official said. In the past, the kingdom has experienced such a delegation of responsibilities multiple times.
Prince Khalid bin Salman, MbS’s younger brother, previously served as deputy defence minister.
