Saudi king overhauls the country’s leadership

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah on Saturday made sweeping changes to his government, replacing the head of the religious police and the central bank governor of 26 years as well as appointing the kingdom's first-ever woman deputy minister.

The changes also include new education, justice, information and health ministers, a new leader of the consultative Shura council, and a new central bank chief.

Norah al-Fayez, currently an official at the Saudi Institute for Public Administration, became the first woman deputy education minister for female education affairs, the most senior ever granted to a woman in the kingdom.

The central bank governor Hamad Saud al-Sayyari was replaced with his deputy, Muhammad al-Jasser. The monarch also appointed Abdul-Aziz Khoja, who was ambassador to Lebanon, as information minister, replacing Iyad bin Amin Madani.

Sayyari had been at the helm of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), the kingdom's central bank, since 1983 when he was appointed acting governor before being confirmed at the post two years later.

The reshuffle did not affect either of the key ministries of oil or finance, official sources said.

Saleh bin Humaid, who was speaker of the advisory Shura Council, was appointed head of the Supreme Judiciary Court and was replaced by the outgoing justice minister, Abdullah al-Sheikh

Also named in the sweeping shakeup was a new head of the Muttawa religious police, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Humain who replaced sacked Sheikh Ibrahim al-Ghaith.

The board of Muslim scholars was also expanded for the first time to include 21 members from all Sunni schools of thought.

The cabinet reshuffle is the first to take place since King Abdullah took the throne in August 2005 following the death of King Fahd.

Cabinet reshuffle

Following is the lineup of the new cabinet after the first reshuffle since King Abdullah took the throne in August 2005:

* Central bank governor: Mohammed al-Jasser

*Chairman of the Supreme Council of Magistrates :Saleh bin Humaid

* Minister of health: Abdullah al-Rabia

*Deputy education minister for women's education: Norah al-Fayez

*Head of Shura Council: Sheikh Abdullah al-Sheikh

*Chairman of the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice: Abdul-Aziz Al Hamin

*Chairman of the Supreme Administrative Court: Mohammed al-Dossari

*Deputy Chief of General Staff: Lieutenant-General Hussein

*Chief of Ground Forces commander: Major-General Abdul-Rahman

*Minister of Information: Aziz Khoja

*Deputy Minister of Education: Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammad

*Head of Diwaan Al Mathalim: Ibrahim al-Huqail

*Head of the Human Rights Council: Bandar Al- Ayban