Salman is new Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia

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Salman is new Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia

RIYADH - The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, has appointed Defence Minister Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz as Crown Prince.

By (Reuters)

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Published: Tue 19 Jun 2012, 12:45 AM

Last updated: Fri 3 Apr 2015, 2:41 PM

The appointment was announced one day after the burial of Crown Prince and Interior Minister Nayef bin Abdulaziz, who died on Saturday.

“Based on public interest, we have chosen Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz to be Crown Prince and ordered his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister”, a royal decree said.

Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, a younger brother of both Prince Salman and Prince Nayef, has been named as the new Interior Minister.

Crown Prince Salman, who is 76 years old, becomes King Abdullah’s third heir after the deaths of two elder brothers in the past eight months.

Crown Prince Salman, a half-brother of Abdullah, is likely to continue with gradual social and economic reforms adopted by King Abdullah as well as Saudi Arabia’s moderate oil pricing policy, analysts said.

“It was widely expected, so it came to confirm an expectation. I think that’s an indication of the strength of the element of continuity within the system,” said Asaad Al Shamlan, a political science professor in Riyadh.


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