Tunisia’s President Kais Saied has made changes to the government this week, replacing several key ministers, including those in defense and foreign affairs, as the country gears up for its presidential election scheduled for October, The Associated Press reports.
The reshuffling marks another instance of Saied exercising the extensive powers he gained three years ago when he rewrote Tunisia’s constitution, allowing him full authority to select his Cabinet. This latest shakeup comes just two weeks after Kamel Madouri, a technocrat and former social affairs minister, was appointed as the country’s fifth prime minister during Saied’s first term.
The changes were announced on Sunday via the presidency’s Facebook page but were accompanied by minimal explanation regarding the reasons for the abrupt Cabinet overhaul. In total, 19 ministers were replaced, including those overseeing critical sectors of Tunisia’s economy and society, such as environment, tourism, trade, and health. However, the heads of the influential Interior and Justice ministries will remain unchanged.
President Saied informed the newly appointed ministers that the restructuring was a necessary move to combat corruption and bolster national security, according to Tunisia’s state news agency, TAP. These objectives have long been positioned by Saied as justifications for his measures against critics in government, the media, and civil society.
