Al-Mulhim, Mohammed Abdullah

 

Introduction:

The Kingdome of Saudi Arabia is a Muslim state, which was founded in 1932 by King Abdulaaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud. The system of ruling in Saudi Arabia has been a hereditary monarchy system, where sons and grandsons of the Kingdom’s founder hold reins of power of the Kingdom in terms of allegiance and eligibility, where ruling has been completely based on the Holy Qur'an and Prophet's (peace be upon him) traditions.

The Saudi king is the prime minister, chief of state, the head of government, and commander-in-chief of the military of Saudi Arabia. The king's council of ministers is appointed by the King every four years. In addition, the major ministries such as defence, interior and foreign affairs ministers are headed by royal family members.

The legislative branch in Saudi Arabia is the Council of Ministers. However, there is an advisory council, known as “Majlis Al Shura”. The council members are appointed by the king himself. Its main role is to provide him with advice on important issues; therefore, its decisions are non-binding. In 2011, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the present king, announced that women would have the right to be appointed to this council.

The judicial system in the kingdom is derived from Islamic jurisdiction. The Saudi court system consists of three main parts: a supreme court, appeal courts and district courts. In 2007, King Abdullah approved changes to the judicial system. The changes included special courts such as commercial, labor and administrative courts (Saudi e-Government National Portal 2012).

 

Bibliography

Saudi e-Government National Portal . 2012. (accessed November 1, 2012 ).