Council of Ministers: Membership   
The Council of Ministers was established by King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al-Saud in 1953. It consists of the King who is the Prime Minister, the Crown Prince who is Deputy Prime Minister, and Cabinet ministers. Under the bylaws announced by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud in September 1993, the Council is responsible for drafting and overseeing the implementation of the internal, external, financial, economic, educational and defense policies, and general affairs of the state. The Council meets weekly and is presided over by the King or one of his deputies.

On April 30, 2003, King Fahd issued Royal Decrees renaming a number of ministries, and dissolving two of them, effective May 3, 2003, to give a cabinet of 21 ministers with portfolio and 5 ministers of state in addition to himself as Prime Minister and Crown Prince Abdullah as Deputy Prime Minister. On December 23, 2003 he decreed a sixth minister of state with special responsibilities for the affairs of the Consultative Council (Majlis Al-Shura). On March 22, 2004, the Ministry of Labor and Social Services was divided into two, so that there are now 22 ministers with portfolio. On July 24, 2005, a new minister of state was appointed, with special responsibilities for foreign affairs. There are now 7 ministers of state, two of them with portfolio.

Previous changes are:
On July 16, 2001, the Council of Ministers resolved to divide the Ministry of Agriculture and Water, and create a 23rd ministry; the new Minister was named on September 16, 2002, and the Ministry of Water came into effect on that date.
On June 16, 1999, royal decrees made changes in the cabinet, and created a 22nd ministry, the Ministry of Civil Service.
On August 2, 1995, King Fahd issued a Royal Decree dissolving the Council of Ministers and announcing the names of Ministers in the new Cabinet under his chairmanship.

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MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS AS OF MAY 2008:

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Prime Minister:
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
King Abdullah assumed the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on August 1, 2005, on the death of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz. The son of King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al-Saud, the legendary founder of the modern Kingdom, King Abdullah inherited his father's legacy as the guardian of a nation deeply rooted in the Islamic faith. He was Crown Prince to King Fahd from 1982 to 2005.

King Abdullah was born in Riyadh in 1924 and received formal education from religious scholars and intellectuals. He has commanded the Saudi National Guard since 1963.

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MINISTERS WITH PORTFOLIO

Deputy Prime Minister:
Minister of Defense and Aviation, and Inspector-General

HRH Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Crown Prince Sultan was Second Deputy Prime Minister from June 1982 to August 2005, and has been Minister of Defense and Aviation since 1962. He was born in Riyadh on 30 December 1930 (10 Sha'ban 1439H) and was educated at the Royal Court. His first post was Governor of Riyadh. In 1953, he became Minister of Agriculture, and in 1955 he assumed responsibility for the Ministry of Communications and oversaw the establishment of Saudi Arabia's first railway system.

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Second Deputy Prime Minister:
Minister of the Interior
HRH Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Born: 1934
Education: Studied religion, diplomacy and security affairs.
Positions Held: Governor of Riyadh, 1953-54; Deputy Minister of the Interior; Minister of State for Internal Affairs, 1970; President, Supreme Council for Information; Minister of the Interior since 1975.

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Minister of Foreign Affairs:
HRH Prince Saud Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Born: 1940
Education: BA in Economics, Princeton University, 1964.
Positions Held: Deputy Governor of Petromin, 1970-71; Deputy Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, 1971; Minister of Foreign Affairs since 1975.

Minister of Education:
Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah Bin Muhammad Al-Saud
Born: 1949 in Riyadh
Education: MA in Industrial Engineering, Stanford University, CA, USA; BA in Business Administration, Menlo College in the USA.
Positions Held: Research and Industrial Development Center at the Ministry of Commerce from 1971 to 1973; Undersecretary for the National Guard's Western Sector 1992 to 2003; Deputy Chief of the General Intelligence 2003-2009; Minister of Education since February 14, 2009.

Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs:
HRH Prince Mansour bin Met'eb bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Born: 1952
Education:  PhD in Public Administration, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
Positions Held: Deputy Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, 2006-2009; Chairman of the General Committee for Municipal Elections; faculty member at the Department of Public Administration at the School of Administrative Science, King Saud University; Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs since November 2, 2009.

Minister of Agriculture:
Dr. Fahd bin Abdulrahman Balghanaim
Born:1952
Education: PhD in Civil Engineering,Transportation, Michigan University; MSc Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Stanford University; BSc Civil Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
Positions Held: member of the services, public facilities, and environment committee of the Consultative Council (Majlis Al-Shura)  2001-2003; Governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC); Deputy Minister for Fisheries at the Ministry of Agriculture and Water; Minister of Agriculture since May 2003.

Minister of Water and Electricity:
Abdullah Al-Hosain
Born:
Education:
Positions held: Deputy Minister for Electricity, and Governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWWC); Minister of Water and Electricity since April 13, 2004

Minister of Civil Service:
Muhammad bin Ali Al-Fayez
Born:
Education:
Positions held: Minister of Civil Service since 1999, when the Ministry was created.

Minister of Finance:
Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Assaf
Born: 1949
Education: PhD in Economics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; MA in Economics, Denver University, Colorado; BA in Economics and Political Science, King Saud University, Riyadh.
Positions Held: Lecturer in principles of economics 1971-1982, then associate professor of economics and head of the Department of Administrative Sciences 1982-1986 at King Abdul Aziz Military College in Riyadh; guest lecturer 1982-1983 at the College of Command and Staff; part-time advisor to the Saudi Development Fund 1982-1986; alternate Saudi executive director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) 1986-1989; Saudi executive director on the executive board of the World Bank Group 1989-1995; vice-governor of the Saudi Monetary Agency June to October 1995; Minister of State and Member of the Council of Ministers October 1995 to January 1996; Minister of Finance and National Economy 1996-2003; Minister of Finance since May 2003. 

Minister of Health:
Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah
Born: 1955 in Riyadh
Education: MA in Pediatric Surgery, Alberta University, Canada, 1985; Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, King Saud University, 1979. Canadian Board of Surgeons, 1985; Canadian Board of Pediatric Surgeons, 1987.
Positions Held: Assistant Professor of Pediatric Surgery, King Saud University, King Saud University; pediatric surgery consultant at King Khaled University, King Khaled National Guard Hospital and King Fahd Specialist Hospital; Executive Director General of Health Affairs at the National Guard, 2005-2009; Minister of Health since February 14, 2009.

Minister of Higher Education:
Dr. Khalid Al-Angary
Born: 1952
Education: PhD, Geography, University of Florida, 1981.
Positions Held: Assistant Professor, King Saud University, 1981-83; Deputy Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, 1983-84; Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, 1990; Minister of Higher Education since 1991.

Minister of Commerce and Industry:
Abdullah bin Ahmed bin Yosef Zainal Alireza
Born:
Education: BA in Political Science, Whittier College, California, USA.
Positions Held: Chairman of businesses and organizations including the Saudi Services & Operating Company, the Saudi Energy Services Company Limited, and the Saudi Trade & Export Development Company; former chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce (JCCI) and the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce & Industry; Minister of State and Cabinet member 2003-2008; member of the Supreme Economic Council since 2005; Minister of Commerce and Industry since March 2008.

Minister of Culture and Information:
Dr. Abdulaziz Khojah
Born: 1940 in Makkah
Education: PhD in Organic Chemistry, Birmingham University, UK, 1969; MA in Organic Chemistry, UK, 1967; BS, King Saud University.
Positions Held: Dean of the Faculty of Education, Makkah 1979-1984; Undersecretary for Information Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Information 1984 to 1991. Since 1991 served as Saudi ambassador to Turkey, Russia, Morocco and Lebanon. Minister of Culture and Information since February 14, 2009.

Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance:
Shaikh Saleh bin Abdulaziz Al-Ashaikh
Born:
Education:
Positions Held: Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance since 1999.

Minister of Justice:
Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkareem Al-Issa
Born: 1965
Education: PhD, Imam Muhammad bin Saud University, MA, Imam Muhammad bin Saud University.
Positions Held: Vice President to the Board of Grievances, 2007-2009; Minister of Justice since February 14, 2009.

Minister of Labor:
Dr. Ghazi bin Abdulrahman Al-Qusaibi
Born: 1940, in Hasa
Education:  PhD in Law, London University, U.K., 1970; MA in international relations at University of South California, USA, 1964; law degree from Cairo University 1961.
Positions held: associate professor, dean of the Faculty of Commerce and head of the department of political science at King Saud University; director general of Saudi Railways Organization; held cabinet portfolios in health, and industry and electricity; instrumental in setting up Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC); chairman of Jubail Petrochemical Company (Sadaf) and Yanbu Petrochemical Company (Yanpet); served on Public Investment Fund, Supreme Manpower Council, and Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu; ambassador to Bahrain 1984 to 1992; ambassador to United Kingdom and Ireland 1992 to 2002; Minister of Water since 2002, when the Ministry, created in 2001, became effective, and of Water and Electiricity when renamed in May 2003; Minister of Labor since April, 2004.

Minister of Social Affairs:
Dr. Yusuf bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen
Born:
Education:
Positions Held: Secretary-general of the King Abdullah Foundation for His Parents on Housing Development; Minister of Social Affairs since May 28, 2008.

Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources:
Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi
Born: 1935
Education: MSc Geology, Stanford University, USA; BSc, Geology, LeHigh University.
Positions Held: Joined ARAMCO in 1947; Supervisor, Production Department, Abqaiq, 1969; Assistant Director, then Director of Production, Northern Province, 1972-75; Vice-President, Production Affairs, 1975; Vice-President, Petroleum Affairs, 1978; Member, Board of Directors, 1980; Executive Vice-President, Oil and Gas Affairs, 1981; President, Saudi Aramco, 1983; Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources since 1995.

Minister of Pilgrimage:
Dr. Fouad bin Abdulsalaam bin Muhammad Al-Farsi
Born: 1946
Education: PhD in Political Science, Duke University, USA, 1976; MA in Political Science, Portland University, USA, 1971.
Positions Held: Assistant Professor, King Saud University, 1976; Assistant Deputy Minister of Industry, 1977; Deputy Minister of Industry, 1979; Deputy Minister of Information, 1980; Minister of Information 1995-2003; Minister of Culture and Information 2003-2005; Minister of Pilgrimage since February 2005.

Minister of National Economy and Planning:
Khalid bin Muhammad Al-Qusaibi
Born:
Education:
Positions Held: Minister of Planning 1999-2003; Minister of National Economy and Planning since May 2003.

Minister of Communications and Information Technology:
Muhammad bin Jameel Mulla
Born:
Education:
Positions Held: Minister of Communications and Information Technology since May 2003.

Minister of Transport:
Dr. Jubarah bin Eid Al-Suraiseri
Born:
Education:
Positions Held: Minister of Transport since May 2003.

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MINISTERS OF STATE:

HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz ;
Dr. Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Khuweiter ;
Dr. Muttlab bin Abdullah Al-Nafissa ;
Dr. Musaid bin Muhammad Al-Eiban ;
Dr. Saud bin Saeed Al-Met'hami (12/23/03;  for Shura Affairs)
Dr. Nizar Obeid Madani (08/29/05; for Foreign Affairs)