Jeddah, Saudi Arabia- Saudi Arabia‘s King Salman bin Abdulaziz has named his son and heir Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the country’s new Prime Minister, replacing him.
However, King Salman, remains Head of State and he will will also still preside the Cabinet meetings that he attends, but the decree promotes Prince Salman to become head of government.
King Salman also promoted his other two sons, Prince Khalid from Deputy Defence Minister to the defence minister and retained Abdulaziz as Energy Minister.
The crown prince, known as MbS, had been the Defense Minister and has been the de facto ruler of the world’s top oil exporter and a major United States (US) ally in the Middle East.
Moreso, the 37-year-old Prime Minister is seen as the driving force behind a plan to overhaul the once ultra-conservative country that relies on oil revenues. The reforms have helped diversify the economy, though critics say not by much so far while rolling back religious strictures that banned women from driving until 2018.
However, the Prince has been boycotted by US President Joe Biden, who came to office vowing to turn Saudi Arabia into a pariah over the 2018 murder of journalist and critic Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi security agents. The CIA concluded that the Prince had ordered a “capture-or-kill mission”, something the Prince has denied.
Moreover, his reforms have come with a massive crackdown on dissent, with activists, royals, women rights activists and businessmen jailed.
Meanwhile, United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister, Liz Truss has thanked the Prince for his help in securing the release of five Britons captured by pro-Russian forces in Ukraine.
The Foreign Office had been working for months to support those detained, but it is believed the Prince was crucial in negotiating the release.
“The Prime Minister thanked the crown prince for his personal role in securing the release of five British detainees held by Russia-backed forces in eastern Ukraine last week, to the great relief of their families,” read statement a by the Prime Minister’s Office.
