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The politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in the context of a unitary absolute monarchy, along traditional Islamist lines, where the King is both the head of state and government. Decisions are, to a large extent, made on the basis of consultation among the King, the Council of Ministers, Islamic scholars, tribal leaders and other traditional elites of the society. Saudi government is authoritarian, although some analysts have characterized the government of Mohammed bin Salman as totalitarian. The Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, is the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. Under his rule, he has centralized policymaking, purged competing political elites, and dismantled pre-existing power-sharing dynamics.
The House of Saud is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), and his brothers, though the ruling faction of the family is primarily led by the descendants of Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman, the modern founder of Saudi Arabia. It forms a subtribe of the larger prominent ancient Banu Hanifa tribe of Arabia, from which well known 7th century Arabian theologist Maslama ibn Ḥabīb originates. The most influential position of the royal family is the King of Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarch. The family in total is estimated to comprise 15,000 members; however, the majority of power, influence and wealth is possessed by a group of about 2,000 of them. Some estimates of the royal family's wealth measure their net worth at $1.4 trillion.This figure includes the market capitalization of Saudi Aramco, the state oil and gas company, and its vast assets in fossil fuel reserves, making them the wealthiest family in the world and the wealthiest in recorded history.
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Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is King of Saudi Arabia, reigning since 2015, and was also Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. The 25th son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia, he assumed the throne on 23 January 2015. Prior to his accession, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 18 June 2012 to 23 January 2015. Salman is the third oldest living head of state, the oldest living monarch, and Saudi Arabia's first head of state born after the unification of Saudi Arabia. He has a reported personal wealth of at least $18 billion, which makes him the third wealthiest royal in the world and one of the wealthiest individuals in the world.
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Saad bin Khalid Al Jabri is a former major-general, minister of state and long-time adviser to deposed Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef of Saudi Arabia. He has been living in exile in Canada since May 2017. The Saudi government has unsuccessfully sought to have him extradited back to Saudi Arabia on charges of corruption. Al Jabri has accused the Saudi government of orchestrating assassination attempts on him and of holding two of his children, along with other relatives, as hostages in a bid to force his return.
The Saudi Council of Economic and Development Affairs is one of two subcabinets of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was established by King Salman to replace the Supreme Economic Council, and is led by the King Salman’s son and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who holds additional roles such as Defense minister.
Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (1875–1953), the founder and first king of Saudi Arabia, also called Ibn Saud, was very young when he first got married. However, his wife died shortly after their marriage. Ibn Saud remarried at eighteen and his firstborn child was Prince Turki I. He had 45 sons of whom 36 survived to adulthood and had children of their own. He also had many daughters. He is thought to have had 22 wives.
The following lists events in the year 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
References
- ↑ Adam Schreck, The Saudi Arabian monarchy is bringing up its younger generation, Businessinsider.com, 5 February 2015
- ↑ King Salman Restructures Government Archived 2018-01-27 at the Wayback Machine , Susris.com, 29 January 2015
- ↑ Council for Political and Security Affairs (CPSA) Archived 2018-06-12 at the Wayback Machine , Susris.com, 11 February 2015
- ↑ السعودية: مجلس للشؤون السياسية والأمنية يعزز عملية صناعة القرار, Aawsat.com, 31 March 2015
- ↑ Saudi king stamps his authority with staff shake-up and handouts, Ft.com, 30 January 2015
- ↑ Security and Political Affairs Council Holds Inaugural Meeting Archived 2018-06-12 at the Wayback Machine , Susris.com, 11 February 2015
- ↑ مجلس الشؤون السياسية والأمنية يناقش مستجدات «عاصفة الحزم», Okaz.com, 5 March 2015
- ↑ Simon Henderson, Saudi Arabia's big gamble, Foreignpolicy.com, 26 March 2015
