1.
POLITICAL SYSTEM OF SAUDI ARABIA
BY DANISH RAZA

2.
FIRST SAUDI STATE (1744-1818)
• The First Saudi State was established by Muhammad ibn Saud, who
united various Bedouin tribes and established the Saudi dynasty. The
state was primarily based in the central Arabian region of Nejd and
controlled Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities in Islam.
However, the state was eventually defeated by the Ottoman Empire in
1818 and the Saudi family was exiled.

3.
SECOND SAUDI STATE (1824-1891)
• The Second Saudi State was established by the descendants of
Muhammad ibn Saud and was based in the same central Arabian
region of Nejd. The state was able to re-establish control over Mecca
and Medina, but it was again defeated by the Ottoman Empire in
1891 and the Saudi family was exiled once more.

4.
THIRD SAUDI STATE (1902-1932)
• The Third Saudi State, also known as the Saudi Arabia, was
established by Abdul Aziz Al Saud, a descendant of Muhammad ibn
Saud. He was able to unite various Bedouin tribes and re-conquer the
region of Nejd. He also conquered the Hejaz region, which includes
Mecca and Medina and the capital city of Jeddah. This state
succeeded in establishing Saudi Arabia as a nation-state, and it still
exists today.

5.
TREATY OF JEDDAH
• In 1932, Saudi Arabia and the Ottoman Empire signed
the Treaty of Jeddah, which officially recognized Saudi
Arabia's independence from the Ottoman Empire. The
treaty, signed by Saudi King Abdulaziz Al Saud and the
Ottoman Empire's representative, Djemal Pasha,
established the border between the two countries, with
the Ottoman Empire recognizing Saudi Arabia's
sovereignty over the regions of Nejd, Asir, and the Hejaz,
which includes Mecca and Medina.

6.
Formation of new KSA
• Centralization Of Power
• National Identity
• Economic Development
• Education & Modernization
• International Relations
• Building The Military
All these steps were the foundation of building a new state system and further
strengthen the nation-state of Saudi Arabia.

7.
SALMAN BIN ABDUL AZIZ
36,408,820
POPULATION
2023

8.
Basic law in Constitution
• The Basic Law of Saudi Arabia, which was adopted in 1992, provides
some guidelines for the government’s structure and the rights of
citizens, but it is not considered to be a formal constitution.
• The Basic Law also establishes the government’s structure, with the
king as the head of state and the source of executive, legislative and
judicial authority.

9.
INTERPRETATION OF QURANIC
CONSTITUTION BY:
• The Constitution of Saudi Arabia is based on the Islamic principles and
the interpretation of these principles is done by the religious scholars,
• the Ulama who are appointed by the king and they act as the highest
legal authority in the country.

10.
POLITICAL SYSTEM
• The political system of Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy, in which
the King is both the head of state and the head of government. The
King holds extensive executive, legislative and judicial powers and
oversees the Council of Ministers and the Consultative Assembly.
• The King is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and
presides over the highest religious body in the country, the Council of
Senior Religious Scholars.

11.
How King is selected in
KSA
• The Allegiance Council is
responsible to determine
the new king and the new
Crown Prince
• Allegiance Council is the
body for determining
future succession to the
throne of Saudi Arabia.

12.
For The first time in the history of
SA, a crown prince is selected as the
Prime Minster, While the king is
Alive..!
“Muhammad bin Salman” is the
New Prime minister of Saudi Arabia

13.
Membership of the Council
• The members of the council include surviving sons of ibn Saud,
grandsons whose fathers are deceased, the council had 34 members:
4 surviving sons of ibn Saud, 29 of his grand sons and 1 of his great
grand son.

14.
Administrative
divisions
• Saudi Arabia is divided into
13 regions.
• Each have separate
governor appointed by king

15.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
• This is made up of a Consultative Council (also known as Majlisa-
Shura or Shura Council) advises the King on issues that are important
to Saudi Arabia so The Consultative Council currently consists of
150members appointed by the King for a four-year renewable
term.so Based on their experience, members are assigned to
committees.

16.
Continued..
There are 12 committees legislative branch that deal with
• human rights, education, culture,
• information, health and social affairs, services and public utilities
• foreign affairs,
• security, Administration, Islamic affairs
• Economy and industry, and finance.

17.
JUDICIAL BRANCH
• The country is governed and justice is administered according to Islamic law. The
Saudi court system consists of three main parts.
• The largest is the Sharia's Courts, which hear most cases in the Saudi legal
system.so The Sharia courts are organized into several
Categories:
• Courts of the First Instance (Summary and General Courts),
• Courts of Cassation
• the Supreme Judicial Council.

18.
Economic System
The economic system of Saudi
Arabia is based on the oil industry,
which accounts for the majority of
the country's GDP and exports.
The government heavily regulates
the economy and plays a significant
role in the development and
management of strategic industries.
Saudi Arabia has a high level of
income inequality and a large youth
population, and the government is
working to diversify the economy
and create jobs to address these
issues.

19.
EXPORTS
• exporting mostly to China ($33.4B)
• India ($16.8B)
• Japan ($16.3B)
• South Korea ($14.4B)
• United Arab Emirates ($9.21B)
The top exports of Saudi Arabia are Crude Petroleum ($95.7B), Refined Petroleum ($10.7B),
Ethylene Polymers ($9.17B), Propylene Polymers ($5.28B), and Acyclic Alcohols ($3.22B)

20.
IMPORTS
• The top imports of Saudi Arabia are Cars ($11.2B),
• Broadcasting Equipment ($5.5B),
• Refined Petroleum ($3.86B),
• Packaged Medicaments ($3.14B),
• Telephones ($2.38B),
• importing mostly from China ($31.8B), United Arab Emirates ($18B), United
States ($10.8B), Germany ($6.79B), and India ($6.37B).

21.
Good to know..
• In 2020, Saudi Arabia was the world's biggest importer of Iron
Reductions ($1.32B), Sheep and Goats ($391M), Nutmeg, mace and
cardamoms ($338M), Asphalt ($279M), and Artificial Monofilament
($3.12M)

22.
HUMAN RIGHTS
• Human rights in Saudi Arabia have been a
contentious issue for many years. The
country has been criticized by human rights
organizations and governments for a wide
range of human rights abuses,
• including restrictions on freedom of
expression, assembly and association,
arbitrary detention, and the use of torture
and the death penalty.

23.
CONTINUE..
• Freedom of expression is heavily restricted in Saudi Arabia, and the
government heavily censors the media. The government also
monitors and blocks websites that it deems to be critical of the
government or the ruling family.
• The government also heavily restricts the rights to freedom of
assembly and association. Public protests are banned, and any form
of political opposition is not tolerated.

24.
VISION OF 2030
• Vision 2030 is a plan announced by the government of Saudi
Arabia in 2016 that aims to diversify the economy and reduce its
dependence on oil exports, as well as to boost the private sector
and women’s participation in the workforce. The Vision also aims
to enhance the cultural and entertainment sector, and to improve
the investment environment.

25.
VISION 2030
• Economic Diversification
• Youth Empowerment
• Women Empowerment
• Cultural and Entertainment
• Quality Of Life
• Administrative Reforms

26.
2030 Overall
• The Vision 2030 plan is a long-term strategy and it’s still under
implementation. The government of Saudi Arabia has been working
on various projects and initiatives that align with the goals of the
Vision 2030.

27.
ROLE OF MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN in KSA
• In his role as Crown Prince, MBS has pushed for a number of economic and social
reforms in Saudi Arabia, including a plan called Vision 2030 that aims to diversify
the country’s economy and reduce its dependence on oil.
• He has also taken steps to modernize the country, such as lifting the ban on
women driving and promoting a more liberal lifestyle for Saudi citizens.

28.
MBS FOREIGN POLICY
• MBS has also taken a more active role in foreign policy, including leading the
Saudi-led coalition in the ongoing war in Yemen, and overseeing the blockade of
Qatar.
• He has also played a major role in the Saudi-U.S. Relationship, and has made
several trips to the U.S. To meet with President Trump and other U.S. Officials.

29.
Modern KSA OF MBS
• In recent times, MBS has been taking measures to improve the economic and
financial conditions of the country and has been trying to attract foreign
investment. Despite the ongoing war and human rights issues, MBS has been
trying to present a new and modern image of Saudi Arabia to the world.

30.
Things that have gone wrong since MBS started
his ascent to power
1. War in Yemen (2015)
2. Detention of Lebanon's PM (NOV-2017)
3. Ritz-Carlton purge (October-2017)
4. GCC crisis and blockade of Qatar(2017)
5. Jailed women's rights activists
6. Diplomatic spat with Canada
7. Rise of executions in the kingdom
8. Disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi 2018

31.
CRITICISM! CONCLUSION.
• Lack Of Political Freedom
• Limited Political Participation
• Lack Of Transparency
• Human Rights Violation
• Lack Of Representation
• Repression Of Dissent
• Restrictions On Media