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The Saudi Council of Ministers (Arabic: مجلس الوزراء السعودي Majlis al-Wuzarā’ as-Su‘ūdī) is the Cabinet of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is led by the King who is Prime Minister. The Council consists of the Prime Minister, the Crown Prince, who is First Deputy Prime Minister, and Cabinet ministers. Since 2015, there are 23 ministers with portfolio and seven ministers of state, two of whom have special responsibilities. All members of the Council are appointed by royal decree.
The Council of Ministers was established by King Abdulaziz Al Saud in 1953. It is responsible for "drafting and overseeing the implementation of the internal, external, financial, economic, educational and defense policies, and general affairs of the state." Legislation must be ratified by royal decree and be found to be fully compatible with the kingdom's interpretation of Shari'a law. It meets every Monday and is chaired by the King in his capacity as Prime Minister or one of his deputies.
The present law governing the form and function of the Council of Ministers was issued by King Fahd in 1993/1414 AH. Among others, it stipulates that every member of the Council must be "a Saudi national by birth and descent; well-known for righteousness and capability;" and "not previously convicted for a crime of immorality or dishonor."
In the early hours of April 29th 2015, King Salman issued 25 royal decrees which included a cabinet reshuffle. This included the removal of Crown Prince Muqrin from his post and the placement of Prince Muhammed bin Nayef in his place, Prince Muhammed bin Salman is appointed First Deputy Crown Prince.
CSPA and CEDA
On 29 January 2015, King Salman bin Abdulaziz ordered major changes to his government including a cabinet shuffle. Amongst a wide range of decrees and in a bid to streamline decision-making and make the government more efficient, the king abolished 12 public bodies - namely, the Higher Committee for Education Policy, Higher Committee for Administrative Organization, Civil Service Council, Higher Commission of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Council of Higher Education and Universities, Supreme Council for Education, Supreme Council for Petroleum and Minerals, Supreme Economic Council, National Security Council, Supreme Council of King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and the Supreme Council for Disabled Affairs - responsible for drawing up policies in fields ranging from energy to education. To eliminate redundancies, King Salman replaced them with two new councils linked to the Council of Ministers: the Council for Security and Political Affairs (CSPA) headed by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Nayef, and the Council of Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA) headed by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.