Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz left for holiday abroad on Monday and appointed his son, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, to run the affairs of the world’s top oil exporter in his absence, a royal decree said.
It is standard practice for Gulf leaders to hand over control to their deputy during travel abroad, but it is the first time Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, 32, has officially taken on the role since his ascent to crown prince last month.
The agency did not say where the king was travelling or how long he would be absent. But an Arab diplomat said he was expected to spend his holiday in Morocco.
The king’s decree posted on Saudi state news agency SPA said the crown prince would be in charge of “managing state affairs and taking care of the interests of the people during the period of our absence from the Kingdom.”
Apart from his role as crown prince, Mohammad Bin Salman also serves as defence minister and leads an ambitious reform agenda to end Saudi Arabia’s reliance on oil.
