| Submit your comments on this article |
| Africa North |
| Tunisia forms new government |
| 2011-03-10 |
| [Maghrebia] Interim Tunisian Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi on Monday (March 7th) announced a new government after citizens demanded the authorities sever all ties with the former regime. The 22-minister cabinet is the third to be formed since the fall of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in the Tunisian revolution. Caid Essebsi announced that the administration would remain the same except for the ministers who resigned their posts last week. The resigning ministers included Planning Minister Mohamed Nouri Jouini and Industry Minister Afif Chelbi. In the new administration, Jouni was replaced by Abdelhamid Triki while Abdellaziz Rassaa will assume Chelbi's position. Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... Rifaat Chaabouni was appointed higher education minister and Abderrazak Zouari was named regional development minister. The new prime minister also decided to restore the state property ministry which was cancelled in the January 27th government. It will be supervised by Ahmed Adhoum. The two factors of continuity and effectiveness were taken into consideration in selecting the members of the new government, Caid Essebsi told news hounds. He noted that he was keen to replace the outgoing ministers with their subordinate state ministers in order to provide continuity. He said his administration was a "caretaker and rescue government", saying that its mission would be to get Tunisia to a safe shore by July 24th, the date set for constituent assembly elections. "We want a free, transparent and objective press," Caid Essebsi said, explaining that he declined to appoint a media minister to avoid a repeat of past abuses. The new government was met with relief by many, with Congress for the Republic chief Moncef Marzouki saying it was composed of technocrats rather than political figures. |
| Posted by:Fred |