Saudi Gazette report
Makkah — Saudi citizens, princes, ministers, officials and scholars on Wednesday expressed joy and thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for appointing Prince Muhammad Bin Salman as crown prince and deputy premier.
Prince Muhammad Bin Naif was among the first to pledge allegiance to the new crown prince, Muhammad Bin Salman.
The Kingdom’s highest religious body, the Council of Senior Scholars, welcomed the choice of Prince Muhammad Bin Salman as crown prince.
Social media was also abuzz with congratulatory tweets and pledges of allegiance.
Pledging allegiance to the new crown prince has been one of the high trending hashtags on social media.
“New generation,” tweeted Wael Al-hifzi.
“Hoping for a brighter future for Saudi Arabia. We pledge allegiance to you for the best of our country,” tweeted Sultan Arish.
“I pledge my support for Prince Muhammad Bin Salman as the Crown Prince and I pledge my obedience to him. May Allah pave the way for you and ensure the betterment of the country and its people,” wrote Reem Abdullah.
MVR Media tweeted: “On behalf of the Saudis abroad, we pledge our support for Prince Muhammad Bin Salman as the Crown Prince and we pledge our support for the wise leadership.”
“The change is a huge boost to the economic reform program... Prince Muhammad Bin Salman is its architect,” John Sfakianakis, director of the Gulf Research Center, was quoted as saying.
Financial analysts said Prince Muhammad Bin Salman’s promotion gave further assurance that key parts of radical reforms to diversify the Saudi economy beyond oil would continue.
In recent years, Prince Muhammad has become the government’s face of reform, modernization and change.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman issued a royal order on Wednesday appointing Prince Muhammad Bin Salman as the new crown prince and relieving Prince Muhammad Bin Naif from his position as crown prince, deputy premier and minister of interior.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) confirmed that 31 out of 34 members of Saudi Arabia’s Allegiance Council chose Prince Muhammad Bin Salman as the crown prince.
Prince Muhammad Bin Salman was also named deputy prime minister, and retains his post as minister of defense.
