King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter and a key US ally in the Middle East, chaired a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. This marked his first time leading the meeting since a royal decree issued on August 8th allowed the cabinet to convene in the absence of the king, crown prince, or both.
Previously, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman had chaired the August 13th cabinet session. The 88-year-old King Salman had received medical care for lung inflammation in May, leading to concerns about his health. Prince Mohammed subsequently postponed an official visit to Japan due to the king’s health.
The August 8th decree, which allows the cabinet to convene even without the king or crown prince or their deputies, specifies that in their absence, the eldest member of the cabinet who is a descendant of King Abdulaziz Al Saud, founder of the Saudi state, will chair the meeting.
