Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia

Politics of Saudi Arabia
Member State of the Arab League
Basic Law
Monarchy King and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Salman Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Deputy crown prince Vacant Allegiance Council Succession
Government Prime Minister Salman Council of Ministers Consultative Assembly President: Abdullah ibn Muhammad Al ash-Sheikh National Security Council
Legal system The Quran The Hadith Judiciary Capital punishment Freedom of religion Human rights Women's rights LGBT rights Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice
Recent elections Municipal: 2005 2011 2015
Administrative divisions Regions Governorates
Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs: Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs: Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Minister of State for Foreign Affairs: Adel al-Jubeir Diplomatic missions of / in Saudi Arabia Nationality law Passport Visa requirements Visa policy
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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, who is also the Prime Minister. The council consists of the King, the Crown Prince, and cabinet ministers. The Crown Prince is also First Deputy Prime Minister and Vice President 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] Legislation must be ratified by royal decree and be found to be fully compatible with the kingdom's interpretation of Shari'a law. It meets every Tuesday and is chaired by the King in his capacity as Prime Minister or one of his deputies.^[2][3]

The present law governing the form and function of the Council of Ministers was issued by King Fahd in 1993 CE/1414 AH.^[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.^[4][5]

Members of the Council of Ministers[]

CSPA and CEDA[]

On 29 January 2015, King Salman bin Abdulaziz 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.^[8][9][10]

See also[]

• Politics of Saudi Arabia

References[]

External links[]

• Statements of the Council of Ministers Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Law of the Council of Ministers
• Ministry of Social Affairs Saudi Arabia