The new king of Saudi Arabia vowed to keep the conservative regime started by King Abdullah as he ascended to the throne of the world’s largest oil-producing country. The oil-rich Muslim kingdom of King Salman is on a steady course and moved to cement his hold on power following the death of his half-brother King Abdullah.
During the first day of King Salman as king of Saudi Arabia, he made the following statement and vowed to “remain, with God’s strength, attached to the straight path that his state has wallked since its establishment,” he stated.
King Salman also called for “unity and solidarity” among Muslims and vowed to work in “the defence of the causes of our nation.” he added. The 79-year-old Saudi ruler, King Salman also appointed his nephew, Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, as second in line to the throne behind the 69-year-old Crown Prince Moqren.
Aside from Prince Nayef and Prince Moqren’s appointment to the Saudi throne, King Salman also appointed his own sons, Prince Mohamed, as defense minister of Saudi Arabia. The appointment made by King Salman helps to solidify control by his Sudayri branch of the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, before the death of King Abdullah, he was known worldwide as a cautious reformer who led teh US-allied Gulf State through a turbulent decade in a region shaken by the popular Arab Spring uprisings and Islamic extremism.
