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Ammon News - Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has been named prime minister, a post traditionally held by the king, in a government shuffle announced on Tuesday.

The move effectively formalises power already wielded by the prince, who has been the kingdom's de facto ruler for several years.

The heads of other critical ministries, including interior, foreign and energy, remained in place, according to a royal decree from King Salman published by the official Saudi Press Agency.

Prince Mohammed, who turned 37 last month, has been first in line to succeed his father as king since 2017.

Saudi Arabia has for years sought to quell speculation over the health of the 86-year-old king, who has ruled the world's top oil exporter since 2015.
In 2017, it dismissed reports and mounting speculation that the king was planning to abdicate in favour of his son.

King Salman has been hospitalised twice this year, most recently a one-week stay in May that involved tests including a colonoscopy, according to state media.

The crown prince is being replaced as defence minister by his younger brother, Prince Khalid bin Salman, who was deputy defence minister.

Prince Khalid's promotion "formalises the key role he has in any case been playing in the ministry since 2019, but also makes the changes look more like a cabinet reshuffle for presentational purposes," said Kristian Ulrichsen, a research fellow at the Baker Institute at Rice University.