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· Tunisia’s parliament approved a technocratic government in a confidence vote yesterday (2 September 2020)
· This may end the months of political instability and may start focusing on tackling the deteriorating economic and social problem
Tunisia’s parliament approved a technocratic government in a confidence vote yesterday (2 September 2020). This may end the months of political instability and may start focusing on tackling the deteriorating economic and social problems.
In an intensely debated confidence vote, the government won 134 votes in favor and 67 against forming the government. The confidence vote was a part of the ongoing tussle between the president and major parties.
Prime Minister-designate Hichem Mechichi said in parliament that the government formation comes at a time political instability and the people’s patience has reached its limit. He added that the priority of the new government would be to address the economic and social situation and safeguard the public finances and begin reform programs including public companies and pruning irrelevant subsidies.
Mechichi combined the ministries of finance, investment and economy into a single department as part of restructuring and rationalization. The combined entity will be led by liberal economist Ali Kooli, chief executive of Arab Banking Corporation (ABC Bank) in Tunisia.
Although President Kais Saied proposed Mechichi as prime minister, Tunisian politicians say this would lead to potential tensions between the presidency and government.
Officials from parties said Saied had asked them to vote against Mechichi’s government and to instead continue with a caretaker government.
Tunisia transited to democracy after the “Arab Spring” uprisings that swept through the region in 2011. The makeover process was by and large peaceful.
The economy is going through a difficult phase ridden by high debt and deteriorating public services. This got compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic. Tunisian economy contracted by 21.6% in the second quarter of 2020, compared with the same period a year ago.
Mechichi tried thrice to form the government since October’s parliamentary election without much success. In January, the cabinet rejected one proposed cabinet. The second government quit in July after less than five months in office. There is an ongoing political discord between reformist and Islamic fundamentalist in Tunisia. However, th present stalemate is more account of the division of powers between president and parliament. Saied, a political independent who won the presidency in a landslide last year, has said he wants to amend the political system, ostensibly to gain more powers, which is resisted by political parties opposing him.
