Tunisia: Parliament approves Fakhfakh-led cabinet, members sworn in before President

Just hours after the Tunisian parliament green-lighted nominal Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh’s proposed cabinet on Wednesday, the new cabinet members were sworn in before President Kais Saied this Thursday.

The endorsement of the 32-member cabinet by 129 lawmakers against 77 who rejected it brought out the country from a long political crisis and spared it early elections.

The confidence vote came following days of difficult negotiations with parliament dominant party Ennahdha. The Islamist party had refused to endorse Fakhafakh if he does form a unity government that including Heart of Tunisia party, the second power in the legislature.

Fakhafakh has refused to work with Heart of Tunisia after the party leader Nabil Karoui was arrested and detained last year on corruption charges.

However, Ennahdha Wednesday reversed its plans to boycott the proposed government. The party leader and speaker of the parliament, Rached Ghannouchi, at the opening of the confidence vote session, indicated that the chamber “supports all sorts of reformist initiatives.”

The chamber, he said, “will accelerate the enactment of legislations that strengthen the hopes of Tunisians to change the difficult living conditions, implement projects, and improve the infrastructure in health, education, and transport sectors, in order to achieve a social and economic transition.”

The proposed cabinet includes five parties among which Ennahdha. The parties altogether control 15 departments, while the remaining 17 portfolios were handed to independent figures.
Tunisia has been without a government since October legislatives.