Source: Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst
Saudi Arabia’s King Changes the Guard Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud carried out a major reshuffle of key ministries and institutions on 14 February, including replacing nearly every senior justice official and overhauling the senior leadership of the Ministry of Education.
It was the first time in King Abdullah’s three-and-a-half tenure that he has replaced such a large number of senior officials. The sweeping changes further added his authority to the state bureaucracy and elevated a number of individuals close to the king to more senior positions. On previous occasions, King Abdullah had reappointed most senior officials, while replacing only a few.
Much of the attention in the Western media has focused on the appointment of the first woman to a senior ministry position. While this appointment is groundbreaking, it obscures and is in some ways a distraction from the other wide-ranging changes undertaken by the king. Moreover, it would be a mistake to interpret the reshuffle as the onset of a nascent reform effort. Changes in the senior leadership of the justice and education ministries, as well as at the Senior Council of Ulema, Supreme Judicial Council, and the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice indicate a further consolidation of state authority and an evolution of central control.