New Delhi: According to the big news coming from Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Crown Prince Mohd. Bin Salman) has now been appointed as the Prime Minister of the country. According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), UAE’s news agency in this regard, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud gave these royal orders on Tuesday.
According to this order of King Salman bin, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will now be the Prime Minister of the UAE and his second son Prince Khalid bin Salman will become the Defense Minister.
At the same time, according to a royal decree issued by Sultan Salman published by the official Saudi Press Agency, there has been no change in other important ministries including interior, foreign, and energy.
Ministers whose posts have not been reshuffled under these new orders include Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Investment Minister Khalid Al Falih, and Finance Minister Mohamed al-Jadananda.
Prince Mohammed, who turned 37 last month, has been in line to succeed his father since 2017. He became the Defense Minister of the country in 2015. However, Saudi Arabia has long sought to put an end to speculation over the health of 86-year-old Sultan Salman, who has been ruling the world’s top oil exporter since 2015.
About Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman Al-Saud is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, First Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence, all at the tender age of 36.
Rapid Appointments
At the beginning of 2015, Prince Muhammad bin Salman was largely unknown in political and diplomatic circles. Since his father’s accession to the throne in January 2015, Prince Muhammad has been swiftly appointed to a number of powerful positions. He was first appointed Minister of Defence, and also named Secretary General of the Royal Court. Then Prince Muhammad was named the chair of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs and was given control over Saudi Aramco by royal decree. In June 2017, he was appointed as Crown Prince of the Kingdom following his father’s decision to remove Prince Muhammad bin Nayef from all positions.
Military Challenges
As Minister of Defence, the young prince has had to deal with many key military issues in which Saudi Arabia is currently involved. He is perhaps most personally identified with the air campaigns against Houthi strongholds in Yemen. Saudi Arabia is also supporting the monarchy in Bahrain, and arming the anti-Assad forces in Syria. His ascension to the role of Crown Prince coincided with geopolitical tensions among members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the cutting of diplomatic ties with Qatar, which subsequently turned into a full blockade before being resolved in January 2021.
Catalyst of Change
The Crown Prince has been linked to major changes taking place in the Kingdom: allowing women to drive, holding their own passports and moving independently, the (re)opening of cinemas and holding of pop concerts, a crackdown on corruption (including the arrest of princes and prominent businessmen), and the proposal to float Saudi Aramco to mention a few.
