Saudi Arabia’s king deposed the sitting crown prince Wednesday and replaced him with Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the deputy crown prince, the state news agency reported.Mohammed bin Salman, who is the son of King Salman, will now be the first in line to the throne.
He will continue in his role as minister of defense, according to a royal decree cited by state media.
Mohammed bin Salman has always had a visible role in the government, and was spearheading the kingdom’s attempts to wean itself off oil as part of an economic strategy announced last year.
He visited the United States in March, where he had lunch at the White House with US President Donald Trump.
Former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz has also been dismissed from his positions of deputy premier and interior minister.
He was named crown prince in 2015 in what many called a surprise power-shifting move. Mohammed bin Nayef replaced the king’s half-brother Prince Muqrin as the king’s successor, bumping Mohammed bin Salman down the line of succession.
The appointment of Mohammed bin Salman, 31, puts the the age of Saudi Arabia’s second in command much closer to the kingdom’s median age of 27. – CNN
