SAUDI KING NAMES SON, WHO IS DEFENCE MINISTER, AS NEW CROWN PRINCE, DPM
King’s nephew, the former crown prince, fired from all positions, says royal decree
SAUDI King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud ousted his nephew as crown prince yesterday and installed his son, Mohammed bin Salman — the first of a new generation set for power in a conservative kingdom used to ageing leaders.
His appointment completes a gradual removal of powers from Mohammed bin Nayef, 57, who has been fired. His rise symbolises the hopes of Saudi’s youthful population, more than half of which is under 25.
According to a royal decree issued by the official Saudi Press Agency, Mohammed bin Salman, 31, was also named deputy prime minister and maintains his post as minister of defence.
His appointment caps a tumultuous two years since Salman, 81, ascended the throne and named the thick-bearded Mohammed bin Salman deputy crown prince, or second in line to the throne.
Mohammed bin Nayef, a veteran law enforcer well-regarded in the West for his efforts to combat Al-Qaeda, was also fired from his post as interior minister, the decree said.
Salman had set a precedent for removal of a crown prince when, in April 2015, he appointed Mohammed bin Nayef and fired Prince Moqren bin Abdul Aziz bin Saud, who had assumed the post under the late King Abdullah.
As deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman took on an unusual amount of responsibility, most prominently as the main proponent of a wide-ranging plan, Vision 2030, to bring social and economic change to the oil-dependent economy of a country where women’s rights are among the most restricted in the world.
He also chaired the Council of Economic and Development Affairs which coordinates economic policy, and oversaw a body overseeing state oil giant Saudi Aramco. It was not immediately clear if he would continue in those roles. AFP