Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia

Politics of Saudi Arabia

Arab League Member State of the Arab League

Basic Law
Monarchy
Government
Legal system
Recent elections
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations
flag Saudi Arabia portal

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]

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Council of Ministers System | The Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia". www.saudiembassy.net. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Biographies of Ministers". Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, DC. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  4. ^ "Saudi Arabia Government". The Saudi Network. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ Nicole Chavez, Tamara Qiblawi and James Griffiths. "Saudi Arabia's king replaces nephew with son as heir to throne". CNN. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  8. ^ 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.