JIDDA, Saudi Arabia — Prince Abdullah, a Saudi reformist, took over the day-to-day running of the government in 1995, when his half-brother, King Fahd, suffered a stroke.

A simple, emotional man known for speaking his mind and for shunning indulgence, Prince Abdullah has supported moves toward greater privatization and diversification of the economy away from oil.

He has also spoken of the need to make ordinary citizens less dependent on the state. In his first government shake-up, he appointed 15 new members to the Cabinet of 29, to make better use, as he put it, of "Saudi expertise."

But Prince Abdullah is in a minority among the upper echelons of the royal family, most of whose senior members — unlike him, full brothers of the king — are closely aligned with the kingdom's religious establishment.

While King Fahd remains alive, Prince Abdullah does not have sufficient authority and support to carry through a reform program.

According to senior princes, regional elections and a radical overhaul of the education curriculum had been edging closer before the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.

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