Tunisia Unveils Second Government In Six Months

Tunisia’s prime minister-designate on Tuesday has declared the country’s second government in six months, which must now seek approval from lawmakers on how the administration would be formed.

Hichem Mechichi had previously declared his intention to form a cabinet dominated by independent technocrats, able to “present urgent solutions” for a country where a sluggish economy has been further battered by the coronavirus pandemic.

The former interior minister’s decision to bypass consultations with political factions had angered, among others, the powerful Islamist party Ennahdha, which has demanded a “political” government reflecting the balance of forces in parliament.

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But Ennahdha and other parties have also spoken of the need to approve the government to avoid dragging the already crisis-hit country into disruptive early elections.

Mechichi told reporters he had decided to form a new cabinet composed of “independent expertise”, with only a few outgoing ministers included in the line-up.

The 46-year-old Mechichi is the third head of government to be appointed since October polls, which resulted in a parliament divided among deeply antagonistic rage.