Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
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| رئيس وزراء المملكة العربية السعودية | |
Royal Standard of Saudi Arabia
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| Incumbent | |
.jpg) |
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| Mohammed bin Salman since 27 September 2022 |
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| Details | |
| Style | Royal Highness |
| Formation | 23 September 1932 |
| Residence | Al-Yamamah Palace (Riyadh) Al-Salam Palace (Jeddah) |
The Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia (Arabic: رئيس مجلس الوزراء, romanized: raʾīs majlis al-wuzaraʾ) is like the main leader of the government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This person is in charge of the Council of Ministers, which is a group of important government officials. The Prime Minister is always either the King of Saudi Arabia or the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Currently, Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been the Prime Minister since September 27, 2022.
Contents
History of the Prime Minister Role
The job of Prime Minister was created on October 9, 1953. It was set up by King Saud along with the Council of Ministers.
Early Years and Power Changes
At first, King Saud was the Prime Minister himself. But because of some disagreements within the royal family, he had to appoint his half-brother, Crown Prince Faisal, as Prime Minister in 1954.
King Saud and Crown Prince Faisal had a power struggle. Faisal resigned in 1960, and King Saud took back the role. However, the disagreements continued, and Faisal returned as Prime Minister in 1962.
In 1964, King Saud was removed from power. Faisal then became the new King and continued to be the Prime Minister. For many years after this, the King of Saudi Arabia was also the Prime Minister.
Changes in Leadership Roles
Later on, especially from the 1990s to the 2000s, the Kings sometimes found it hard to handle all the work. So, other important people, often close to the King, took on many of the daily tasks. These people acted like "de facto" (meaning "in practice") Prime Ministers.
The current Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman, is the son of King Salman. He became Prime Minister on September 27, 2022.
Leaders of Saudi Arabia: Prime Ministers
| No. | Picture | Name (Born–Died) |
Time in office | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Started | Ended | Years in office | ||||
| 1 |  |
Saud (1902 – 1969) King 1953 – 1964 |
9 October 1953 | 16 August 1954 | 1 | King Saud created this job for himself. He later appointed Crown Prince Faisal as Prime Minister. |
| 2 |  |
Faisal (1906 – 1975) |
16 August 1954 | 21 December 1960 | 6 | He was the first Crown Prince to serve as Prime Minister. |
| 1 | |
Saud (1902 – 1969) King 1953 – 1964 |
21 December 1960 | 31 October 1962 | 2 | This was King Saud's second time as Prime Minister. |
| 2 | |
Faisal (1906 – 1975) King 1964 – 1975 |
31 October 1962 | 25 March 1975 | 13 | This was Faisal's second time. He became King in 1964. |
| 3 |  |
Fahd (1920s – 2005) King 1982 – 2005 |
25 March 1975 | 21 February 1996 | 21 | He was Crown Prince and acted as Prime Minister during King Khalid's rule (1975–1982) and then his own. |
| 4 |  |
Abdullah (1924 – 2015) King 2005 – 2015 |
21 February 1996 | 23 January 2015 | 19 | Crown Prince Abdullah acted as Prime Minister after Fahd became ill. He officially became Prime Minister in 2005. |
| 5 | _(cropped).jpg) |
Salman (born 1935) King 2015 – |
23 January 2015 | 27 September 2022 | 7 | Much of the daily government work was handled by his son, Mohammed bin Salman. |
| 6 |  |
Mohammed bin Salman (born 1985) |
27 September 2022 | Still in office | 2+ | He has been the Crown Prince since 2017. |
First Deputy Prime Ministers (1962–2022)
From 1965 to 2022, the Crown Prince also held the title of First Deputy Prime Minister. This role was important for helping the King lead the government.
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Khalid bin Abdulaziz
|
13 February 1913 – 13 June 1982 (aged 69) | 31 October 1962 | 25 March 1975 (became king) |
Son of Ibn Saud | Saud |  |
Fahd bin Abdulaziz
|
16 March 1921 – 1 August 2005 (aged 84) | 25 March 1975 | 13 June 1982 (became king) |
Son of Ibn Saud | Saud | |
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
|
1 August 1924 – 22 January 2015 (aged 90) | 13 June 1982 | 1 August 2005 (became king) |
Son of Ibn Saud | Saud | |
Sultan bin Abdulaziz
|
1 August 1931 – 22 October 2011 (aged 80) | 1 August 2005 | 22 October 2011 (died in office) |
Son of Ibn Saud | Saud |  |
Nayef bin Abdulaziz
|
23 August 1934 – 16 June 2012 (aged 77) | 22 October 2011 | 16 June 2012 (died in office) |
Son of Ibn Saud | Saud |  |
Salman bin Abdulaziz
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31 December 1935 | 16 June 2012 | 23 January 2015 (became king) |
Son of Ibn Saud | Saud |  |
Muqrin bin Abdulaziz
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15 September 1945 | 23 January 2015 | 29 April 2015 (resigned) |
Son of Ibn Saud | Saud |  |
Muhammad bin Nayef
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30 August 1959 | 29 April 2015 | 21 June 2017 (deposed) |
Son of Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz | Saud | .jpg) |
Mohammed bin Salman
|
31 August 1985 | 21 June 2017 | 27 September 2022 (became prime minister) |
Son of King Salman | Saud | _(cropped).jpg) |
Second Deputy Prime Ministers (1967–2017)
The title of "Second Deputy Prime Minister" was created in 1967. It helped show which senior prince was next in line for the throne after the Crown Prince.
How the Role Was Created
In 1965, Crown Prince Mohammed stepped down from his position. This was due to pressure from King Faisal and the royal family. King Faisal then chose Prince Khalid to be the new Crown Prince.
Prince Khalid was not very interested in politics. So, in 1967, he asked King Faisal if he could avoid leading the Council of Ministers meetings. Because of this, Prince Fahd was appointed as the Second Deputy Prime Minister. His job was to lead these meetings. Even though other princes were older than Fahd, they were not chosen because they had less experience.
When King Faisal passed away in 1975, King Khalid became the new King. He then named Prince Fahd as Crown Prince and Prince Abdullah as the Second Deputy Prime Minister.
As King Khalid grew older and became ill, it became important to decide who would follow Abdullah in this role. Prince Sultan later took over as the acting Deputy Prime Minister.
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fahd bin Abdulaziz
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16 March 1921 – 1 August 2005 (aged 84) | 1967 | 25 March 1975 (became crown prince) |
Son of Ibn Saud | Saud |  |
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
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1 August 1924 – 22 January 2015 (aged 90) | 25 March 1975 | 13 June 1982 (became crown prince) |
Son of Ibn Saud | Saud |  |
Sultan bin Abdulaziz
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1 August 1931 – 22 October 2011 (aged 80) | 13 June 1982 | 1 August 2005 (became crown prince) |
Son of Ibn Saud | Saud |  |
Nayef bin Abdulaziz
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23 August 1934 – 16 June 2012 (aged 77) | 1 August 2005 | 22 October 2011 (became crown prince) |
Son of Ibn Saud | Saud | |
Muqrin bin Abdulaziz
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15 September 1945 | 27 March 2014 | 23 January 2015 (became crown prince) |
Son of Ibn Saud | Al Saud | |
Muhammad bin Nayef
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30 August 1959 | 23 January 2015 | 29 April 2015 (became crown prince) |
Son of Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz | Al Saud |  |
Mohammed bin Salman
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31 August 1985 | 29 April 2015 | 21 June 2017 (became crown prince) |
Son of King Salman | Al Saud |  |
See also
In Spanish: Primer ministro de Arabia Saudita para niños
- King of Saudi Arabia
- Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
- List of kings of Saudi Arabia
