Saudi king names son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince | World News - Hindustan Times
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Saudi king names son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince

Associated Press, RIYADH, Saudi Arabia | ByAssociated Press
Jun 22, 2017 12:15 AM IST

The newly announced Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman already oversees a vast portfolio as defense minister and head of an economic council tasked with overhauling the country’s economy.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Wednesday appointed his 31-year-old son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince, placing him firmly as first-in-line to the throne and removing the country’s counterterrorism czar and a figure well-known to Washington from the royal line of succession.

In this Nov. 11, 2015 file photo, Saudi Arabian deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a summit of Arab and Latin American leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's King Salman has appointed his 31-year-old son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince.(AP Photo)
In this Nov. 11, 2015 file photo, Saudi Arabian deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a summit of Arab and Latin American leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's King Salman has appointed his 31-year-old son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince.(AP Photo)

In a series of royal decrees carried on the state-run Saudi Press Agency, the monarch stripped Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who had been positioned to inherit the throne, from his title as crown prince and from his powerful position as the country’s interior minister overseeing security.

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The newly announced Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman already oversees a vast portfolio as defense minister and head of an economic council tasked with overhauling the country’s economy. He had previously been the second-in-line to the throne as deputy crown prince, though royal watchers had long suspected his rise to power under his father’s reign might also accelerate his ascension to the throne.

The young prince was little known to Saudis and outsiders before Salman became king in January 2015. He had previously been in charge of his father’s royal court when Salman was the crown prince.

The Saudi monarch, who holds near absolute powers, quickly awarded his son expansive powers to the surprise of many within the royal family who are more senior and more experienced than Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS.

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