Saudi ruler King Abdullah reshuffles his cabinet

King Abdullah took the step as a response to growing criticism of the government

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz undertook the biggest cabinet reshuffle of his 10-year reign on 8 December, part of a broader effort to respond to growing domestic criticism of the poor performance of some sectors of his government. However, the cabinet portfolios remain unchanged. With Riyadh taking the lead in Opec’s decision to hold the cartel’s production steady, now is evidently not the time to instigate major government changes. Veteran oil minister Ali al-Naimi remains at his post, as does foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, despite false rumours on social media that he was poised to step down after almost 40 years in the job. New ministers have been put in charge at th