Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has appointed Defence Minister, Prince Salman, as crown prince and heir apparent, a Royal Decree has said.
The appointment was announced one day after the burial of Crown Prince and Interior Minister Nayef, who died on Saturday, it said.
“Based on the public interest, we have chosen His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz to be Crown Prince and ordered his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister,” it added.
Crown Prince Salman, who is 76-years-old, becomes Abdullah's third heir after the death of two elder brothers in the past eight months.
He has built a reputation for pragmatism and is likely to swiftly assume a substantial part of the day-to-day running of the kingdom as King Abdullah is 89.
Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, a younger brother of both Salman and Nayef, was named as the new Interior Minister after spending several decades as Deputy Interior Minister.
The new crown prince will keep the defence portfolio and has been appointed deputy prime minister to King Abdullah, the royal decree further said.
Salman, 76, a half-brother of Abdullah, is likely to continue with gradual social and economic reforms adopted by King Abdullah as well as Saudi Arabia's moderate oil pricing policy.
?He is also likely to maintain the kingdom's alliances with Western and Sunni Muslim states.