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Brunei's ruler announced a large furniture reshuffle connected Thursday (June 4, 2026), creating caller cardinal portfolios and appointing 2 of his younger sons arsenic ministers, successful a motion of imaginable succession planning successful the tiny oil-rich sultanate.
The shake-up is the archetypal since 2022 and comes arsenic Brunei, connected the land of Borneo, faces unit from a planetary vigor situation sparked by the U.S.-Israeli warfare connected Iran.
It besides comes a twelvemonth earlier Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the world's longest reigning monarch who ascended the throne successful 1967, prepares to observe his diamond jubilee.
The 79-year-old, who holds aggregate roles successful government, has made constricted nationalist appearances this year aft undergoing genu replacement country successful January.
In a televised broadcast, Sultan Hassanal said helium would proceed to clasp the cardinal roles of Prime Minister, Defence Minister, and Finance Minister.
His 2nd eldest son, Prince Abdul Malik, would beryllium appointed arsenic Minister successful the Prime Minister's Office, his archetypal furniture role.
His 2nd youngest, Prince Abdul Mateen — a polo enthusiast who is fashionable connected societal media — was appointed arsenic Foreign Minister, a relation antecedently held by the Sultan himself.
His eldest, Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah retained his relation arsenic Senior Minister astatine the Prime Minister's Office.
Sultan Hassanal besides announced the instauration of 3 new ministerial roles to fortify argumentation coordination crossed the government. The Primary Resources and Tourism Ministry would besides beryllium re-organised arsenic the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, helium said.
"This is intended to accelerate the improvement of precedence sectors, fortify economical diversification efforts, enactment sustainable economical maturation and make meaningful employment opportunities," helium said.
The reshuffle besides saw the highest fig of pistillate furniture appointments truthful far, including the Minister of Education, and 3 Deputy Ministers.
Brunei has been 1 of the fewer beneficiaries of the warfare successful Iran, boosting exports of crude oil, refined products and state successful caller weeks. But it faces soaring subsidy costs to support pump prices among the lowest successful the region.
Last month, Brunei began barring foreign-registered vehicles with substance tanks little than three-quarters afloat from entering the state successful a bid to deter cross-border smuggling and conserve home supplies.
On Wednesday (June 3), its vigor section said the authorities had established a peculiar committee to show and coordinate measures aimed astatine addressing the effects of the West Asian conflict.
