Tunisia: The Tunisian President Mr. Kais Saied has dismissed the Prime Minister Ms. Najla Bouden from the position, according to the Tunisian Presidency. The President appointed former central bank executive Mr. Ahmed al-Hachani as the new Prime Minister of the country.
Ms. Bouden was the first woman to head a government in Tunisia. No official explanation was given for Ms. Bouden’s dismissal, but several Tunisian media outlets highlighted Mr. Saied’s displeasure over shortages, particularly of bread in state-subsidised bakeries.
According to reports, Ms. Bouden’s government is seen as having been unable to fix the economic and social crisis that Tunisia is mired in as resources dwindle and prices skyrocket.
Mr. Al-Hachani, who now takes over that responsibility, was sworn in before the president at Carthage Palace.
“There are great challenges in order to protect our homeland, our state, and civil peace,” Mr. Saied told Mr. al-Hachani after he took the constitutional oath.
“We will work to achieve the will of our people, the desired justice, and national dignity,” the President added.
Mr. Saied had appointed Ms. Bouden as Prime Minister about two years ago, after he sacked Prime Minister Mr. Hichem Mechichi, took control of almost all powers in July 2021, and dissolved Parliament in a move the opposition described as a coup.
“When you are appointed by a coup that has levelled the constitution, the law, and the Tunisian state institutions, and when you throw your lot in with criminals and murderers, then it is not surprising that you remain a sycophant nodding your head until they expel you through the small door,” an opposition politician Mr. Abdelmalik Hussein posted on social media platform X.
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