Promotion of Mohammed bin Salman to Saudi Prime Minister Confirms his Position as De-facto King
Mohammed bin Salman officially representing the Saudi State at the Rashtrapati Bhawan (Flickr).
King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia named the current crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, as the country’s new prime minister on September 28. Although bin Salman has already dominated Saudi domestic and foreign policy as crown prince, his promotion will facilitate the plans of the Saudi royal family’s most prominent member and protect him legally.
Although King Abdulaziz is the head of state and government, Mohammed bin Salman has for some years now functioned as the key driver of policy in the kingdom and has served as the face of Saudi Arabia to the international community. Onlookers attribute this subversion of monarchical power to the King’s perceived weakness, a result of his failing health. Since his unofficial rise to power began in 2013 with his ascension to a minister position, bin Salman has acquired more power, replacing his nephew as crown prince and eliminating many of his domestic rivals.
More than any other figure in Saudi politics, “MBS” has painted himself as the leader of the kingdom’s effort to reform, a process that, involves the loosening of many Wahabist social rules imposed on the country, as well as the Saudi state’s economic diversification away from its heavy fossil fuels reliance. Although many Western countries have met these efforts with positive reception, bin Salman’s international image took a significant hit after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in a Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The international isolation that ensued only recently gave way to more friendly gestures, as the Gulf States find themselves in a strong negotiating position due to their control of vital oil supplies in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Having served as deputy prime minister until now, bin Salman’s promotion to prime minister further confirms his position as the de-facto decisionmaker. King Abdulaziz will likely continue to cede power, having already ceded part of his double title. However, there is an underlying motivation to the timing of this change: Currently subject to a U.S. lawsuit by a supporter of Jamal Kashoggi, bin Salman is more likely to be granted diplomatic immunity as a de-jure leader of a foreign state. Assuming that the U.S. government grants him immunity, bin Salman will be able to operate from an even greater position of domestic and foreign strength, pursuing his vision of a “modern” Saudi Arabia with more freedom than he could before.