Saudi King’s Reshuffling of Cabinet Creates New Heirs to Throne

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz has effectively started a new chapter of his country’s history with important changes to his cabinet, which will position a new generation to succeed him in hopes of maintaining stability after the 78-year-old ruler dies.

According to an early-morning statement on Wednesday from the Royal Court, Salman, who acceded to the throne in January after the death of his half-brother then-King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, replaced several key figures in the Saudi government with younger relatives.

Salman removed Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, his younger half-brother, as crown prince for his nephew and current Deputy Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef, making him Salman’s heir apparent. Muqrin was also relieved as deputy prime minister for Nayef, who will retain his interior ministry duties.

Just as significantly, Salman appointed his son and current Defense Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman as deputy crown prince, putting him second in line to the throne. He will continue being in charge of the country’s defenses.

These moves signal a generational shift in Saudi power. Nayef and Mohammed, ages 55 and believed to be early 30s, respectively, are the first grandsons of Saudi Arabia’s founder King Abdulaziz, also known as Ibn Saud, to be in line for the throne. Every Saudi ruler after Ibn Saud has been one of his sons, including Salman, who is pushing aside some of the late King Abdullah’s allies, like Muqrin, another son of Ibn Saud.

Salman also wants to “‘inject some new blood into the cabinet,'” according to analyst Fahad Nazer, because most Saudis are under the age of 30, and the leadership seemed to recognize a generational gap between the kingdom’s rulers and the general population. To this point, Salman wants to guarantee the kingdom’s stability going forward; he knows there are questions about succession after him and is planning for the future, especially by grooming Mohammed.

Beyond domestic issues, Nayef and Mohammed’s appointments have implications for Saudi foreign policy. Nayef is known as the kingdom’s counterterrorism czar and will likely be more assertive against terrorism threatening his country. Mohammed, as Defense Minister, has had Salman’s blessing to oversee the Saudi airstrike campaign in Yemen to combat the Iranian-backed Houthis and has taken an aggressive stance against Iranian expansion.

Salman’s appointments also reassert the Sudairi Seven, a powerful alliance of seven full brothers in the House of Saud (the ruling Saudi family). King Abdullah was not a member, so the alliance’s influence decreased while he was in power.

In addition to Nayef and Mohammed, another noteworthy personnel change was removing Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, who has served as the kingdom’s top foreign envoy since 1975, for Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir. Al-Jubeir is not a member of the royal family, but the position normally goes to one.

Despite several changes, some positions remained the same. King Salman, for example, kept Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi, who was central to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ decision to keep oil production steady, which contributed to driving down global oil prices.

The personnel moves in the royal court were part of 30 royal decrees, which eliminated certain councils and committees, formed two main bodies for security and economic affairs, authorized a large payout to state employees, and replaced several other high government offices, among additional actions.

King Salman’s goal is to ensure stability, but such quick changes to the kingdom’s power structure can upset older ruling elites in the country. Al-Jubeir, for example, will outrank Abdul Azaz bin Abdullah, a son of the late King Abdullah. Moreover, older, more experienced relatives of Nayef and Mohammed may be unsure or unhappy about their quick rise to power.

Time will only tell how King Salman’s moves will affect the House of Saud and the kingdom’s governance, but the United States must watch Riyadh’s moves carefully; Saudi Arabia’s activities have great influence both regionally and globally.