The Saudi Council of Ministers (Arabic: مجلس الوزراء السعودي Majlis al-Wuzarā' as-Su'ūdī) is the cabinet of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is led by the King. The council consists of the king, the Crown Prince, and cabinet ministers. The Crown Prince is also the Prime minister and Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Since 2015, there are 23 ministers with portfolio and seven ministers of state, two of whom have special responsibilities. All members of the council are appointed by royal decree.[1]
The Council of Ministers was established by King Abdulaziz in 1953. It is responsible for "drafting and overseeing the implementation of the internal, external, financial, economic, educational and defense policies, and general affairs of the state."[1] It functions in accordance with the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia and is advised by the Consultative Assembly.[2] Legislation must be ratified by a royal decree. It meets every Tuesday and is chaired by the Crown Prince in his capacity as Prime Minister or one of his deputies.[3][4] It is the final authority for financial, executive and administrative matters. Its resolutions are non-binding unless agreed upon by a majority vote. In case of a tie, the Prime Minister casts the tie-breaking vote. The present law governing the form and function of the Council of Ministers was issued by King Fahd in 1993.[1] Among others, it stipulates that every member of the Council must be "a Saudi national by birth and descent; well-known for righteousness and capability;" and "not previously convicted for a crime of immorality or dishonor."[1]
In the early hours of 29 April 2015, King Salman issued 25 royal decrees which included a cabinet reshuffle. This included the removal of his brother Muqrin bin Abdulaziz as Crown Prince and appointment of his nephew Muhammad bin Nayef. The King appointed his son Mohammed bin Salman as Deputy Crown Prince.[5][6]
In another reshuffle on 21 June 2017, King Salman removed his nephew as Crown Prince and appointed his son, Mohammed bin Salman, as the new Crown Prince.[7][8]
Members
editReorganization
editOn 29 January 2015, King Salman ordered major changes to his government including a cabinet shuffle. Amongst a wide range of decrees and in a bid to streamline decision-making and make the government more efficient, the king abolished 12 public bodies – namely, the Higher Committee for Education Policy, Higher Committee for Administrative Organization, Civil Service Council, Higher Commission of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Council of Higher Education and Universities, Supreme Council for Education, Supreme Council for Petroleum and Minerals, Supreme Economic Council, National Security Council, Supreme Council of King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and the Supreme Council for Disabled Affairs – responsible for drawing up policies in fields ranging from energy to education. To eliminate redundancies, King Salman replaced them with two new councils linked to the Council of Ministers: the Council for Security and Political Affairs (CSPA) headed by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Nayef, and the Council of Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA) headed by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.[17][18][19]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "The Law of the Council of Ministers". Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, DC. Archived from the original on 12 June 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
- ^ "Council of Ministers System | The Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia". www.saudiembassy.net. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Biographies of Ministers". Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, DC. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia Government". The Saudi Network. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
- ^ "عام / أوامر ملكية وكالة الأنباء السعودية" [General / Royal Orders of the Saudi Press Agency]. Saudi Press Agency (in Arabic). 29 April 2015. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015.
- ^ "عام / أوامر ملكية إضافة أولى وكالة الأنباء السعودية" [General/Royal orders, first addition, Saudi Press Agency]. Saudi Press Agency (in Arabic). 29 April 2015. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015.
- ^ Nicole Chavez, Tamara Qiblawi and James Griffiths. "Saudi Arabia's king replaces nephew with son as heir to throne". CNN. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ Hubbard, Ben (21 June 2017). "Saudi King Rewrites Succession, Replacing Heir With Son, 31". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Saudi Arabia's King Salman appoints new foreign minister in sweeping Cabinet reshuffle". Arab News. 27 December 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- ^ "FaceOf: Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Asheikh, minister of Islamic affairs". Arab News. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia sets up new Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources". Alarabiya. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ^ a b c "Royal Orders Issued 3 Riyadh". Saudi Press Agency. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ "Faisal bin Fadel Al-Ibrahim is the new Saudi minister of economy and planning". Arab News. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ "FaceOf: Ahmed bin Suleiman Al-Rajhi, new minister of labor and social development". Arab News. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "Thamer bin Sabhan Al-Sabhan, Saudi minister of state for Arabian Gulf affairs". Arab News. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "Who's Who: Dr. Issam bin Saad bin Saeed, state minister and Cabinet member for Shoura Council affairs". Arab News. 15 January 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia - Government dd- King Salman reorganizes Cabinet - Trade Bridge Consultants". Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ "Preparing for a Saudi Future - Interpreting Recent Changes in Saudi Arabia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ Omran, Ahmed Al; Said, Summer (29 January 2015). "Saudi King Shuffles Cabinet, But Leaves Oil Minister". The Wall Street Journal.
External links
edit- Statements of the Council of Ministers Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Law of the Council of Ministers[usurped]
- Ministry of Social Affairs Saudi Arabia