Saudi King makes his son crown prince in historic shakeup

The king of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud has replaced his nephew Mohammed bin Nayef and made his favorite son Mohammad bin Salman as the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Mohammad bin Salman was already been regarded as the new strongman of Saudi Arabia and it was reported that he was consolidating powers. Before this move, he was the Deputy Crown Prince and is credited with launching the 2030 vision that aims to reduce Saudi Arabia’s independence on just oil revenues. The move was announced by royal decree just after midnight, stunning the Saudi establishment. After Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud became king following the death of King Abdullah, a series of moves came from the usually cautious kingdom, which in recent weeks has seen it recalibrate relations with Washington and open a diplomatic offensive against Qatar, led by Bin Salman’s office, while pressing ahead with a war in Yemen and an ambitious economic and cultural overhaul at home.

The current crown prince Mohammad Bin Salman has been central to the changes, which have helped his profile and powers grow rapidly under the tutelage of an 81-year-old monarch who has given him an almost free hand across most aspects of society.

The new role now formalizes the powers that Bin Salman had assumed with astonishing speed since his father ascended to the throne in January 2015. Since then, he has consolidated more influence than anyone else in the kingdom, spearheading plans for a privatization of the state oil company, Aramco, while taking charge of the war in Yemen and one of the world’s largest arms budgets.