In major political shake-up, Saudi king overhauls top leadership

In a major reshuffle that has long-term implications in Saudi Arabia’s power structure, King Salman bin Abdulaziz replaced his younger half-brother and crown prince Moqren bin Abdul Aziz bin Saud with his nephew Mohammed bin Nayef, who is now the heir-apparent. 
 

The reshuffle was announced by royal decree through state television early on Wednesday.
 

Though it was reported Moqren had sought the king relieve him of his duties, observers saw this as the king’s move to consolidate his own position in the power structure.
 

More importantly, the change shows King Salman’s focus on the country’s security in the emerging geopolitical situation in West Asia: Crown prince Nayef, the grandson of the founder of Saudi Arabia, will continue in his position of interior minister and head of the political and security council, a coordinating body. 
 

Nayef, who escaped an attempt on his life six years ago, has remained tough on internal security. There have been many arrests of suspected Al Qaida terrorists, and more recently IS ones, since then. Besides, Saudi Arabia has been waging a war against Yemen. 
 

King Salman also appointed his son Mohammed bin Salman as deputy crown prince, and replaced foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal with the kingdom’s Washington ambassador Adel al-Jubeir. As deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman is now seen as the second in line to the throne. 
 

Al Jazeera quoted Khalil Jahshan, the executive director for the Arab Centre of Washington from Fairfax, Virginia, as saying that the reshuffle was a “political earthquake of the greatest magnitude”.
 

“The Saudi Arabia we knew a few hours ago is no longer there,” Jahshan told Al Jazeera, adding: “These are serious changes that will have repercussions not only domestically but internationally.” 
 

This is a very decisive answer to the doubts that many experts have expressed since Salman came to power with regard to his health, his decisiveness and his control over political matters in the kingdom. This is his unequivocal answer.
 

King Salman, 79, came to power after the death of his half-brother, King Abdullah at the age of 90, in January. 

House of Saud 
 

The modern ruling Saud dynasty was established in 1932, when Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud established the kingdom of Saudi Arabia with himself as absolute monarch. Only his descendents are eligible to ascend the throne.
 

To win loyalty of various tribes, King Abd al-Aziz married a daughter of every tribal chief in his kingdom. He had 45 legitimate sons from at least 22 wives. The number of his daughters is estimated to be more than 50. Though many of his contemporaries regarded his practice of polygamy as excessive, it was continued and surpassed by his son, King Saud, who had 53 sons and at least 54 daughters. The descendents of King Abd al-Aziz now number in the thousands, many of whom hold important government positions.
 

Before he died, King Abd al-Aziz established a line of succession: Future kings were to be chosen from among his own sons, beginning with the oldest surviving son, Saud, and followed by the second oldest, Faisal. To date, five sons have ruled: Saud (1953-1964), Faisal (1964-1975), Khalid (1975-1982), Fahd (1982-2005), and Abdullah (2005-2015) and Salman (January 2015- till date). 

Salman belongs to the famous "Sudayri Seven," a close-knit group of seven sons born to a mother from the Sudayri tribe. Nayef is the son of Salman’s brother late Nayef ibn Abd al-Aziz.