The King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, passed a decree appointing new ministers.
The Political System of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is a monarchy and has been ruled by the Al-Saud family for many generations. The present king, King Salman, ascended the throne in 2015.
He also became the first king of Saudi Arabia to visit Russia in person.
Members of the royal family typically hold important ministries and provincial head positions.
Saudi Arabia is made up of 13 provinces (Minṭaqah).
Elections are held for Consultative Councils in the provinces. Half the members are elected while the other half are nominated by the king.
The role of the Consultative Councils (Majlis Al-Shura) is purely consultative. The king and his council of ministers own the decision making.
The new decree
Under the new decree, the following changes have been made:
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been made the Prime Minister from the Defence Minister. He is the son of the current king.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, another son of the king, has been retained as the Energy Minister.
Prince Khalid has been made the Defence Minister from the Deputy Minister of Defence.