The Crescent
News from Packilvania
2 January 2025
Sultan Approves Prince Ludan Bedon as New Prime Minister
Sultan Thumim V approved lawmakers’ nomination for a new Prime Minister on Thursday. The appointment follows a New Year’s speech that contained multiple bombshell announcements, including the resignation of former Prime Minister Prince Luwadeen Bedon.
In an unprecedented, move, the Sultan also invited Parliament to form a special committee to nominate a new Prime Minister. Under the law, Sultans may appoint Prime Ministers unilaterally, and any nomination by Parliament would be non-binding. However, Parliamentarians were quick to praise the change, which allows the Sultan to draw upon national wisdom in filling one of the nation’s most important government positions.
Parliament voted in favor of former Governor of Fidakar, Prince Ludan Bedon. The Sultan later signed off on Prince Ludan’s nomination, making his appointment as Prime Minister official.
Prince Ludan served honorably as Governor for twenty-five years, and made a name for himself as an ardent anti-corruption campaigner in the nation’s second-richest and most-populated province. During his Governorship, Prince Ludan broke the power of Fidakar’s notorious zoning and permit committees, allowing for an influx of development and foreign investment that has helped the province flourish. Indeed, Prince Ludan became one of the first politicians in the Sultanate to achieve online notoriety in 1999, when he walked into a meeting of the Halaler Zoning Commission holding a three-foot tall stack of unreviewed permit requests—some of which had been pending for a decade.
Prince Ludan ultimately resigned in 2023 to comply with the Provincial Governance Reform Act. At the time, Prince Ludan stood out as one of the few Governors to not oppose passage of the Reform. Prince Ludan has since made clear his support for the Act, calling it a necessary step to revitalize moribund provincial governments with new leadership.
Prince Ludan brings a wealth of executive experience to the Council of Ministers. His pro-development stance as Governor has also made him a trusted face for many industries and investors both foreign and domestic. Analysts have suggested that the appointment of a longtime political veteran like Prince Ludan also serves to balance the Council of Ministers, which has trended towards younger and more dynamic figures.