Tunisian president rejects reshuffle, escalating political crisis

Tunisia's president indicated on Monday he would reject an expected cabinet reshuffle, escalating a dispute with the prime minister as a political logjam undermines efforts to tackle the pandemic and its economic fallout. Kais Saied said the reshuffle would be unconstitutional on procedural grounds, condemned the absence of women among the prospective new ministers and said some likely new cabinet members may have conflicts of interest, without giving details.

Tunisia's president indicated on Monday he would reject an expected cabinet reshuffle, escalating a dispute with the prime minister as a political logjam undermines efforts to tackle the pandemic and its economic fallout.

Kais Saied said the reshuffle would be unconstitutional on procedural grounds, condemned the absence of women among the prospective new ministers and said some likely new cabinet members may have conflicts of interest, without giving details. The political paralysis comes as the COVID-19 crisis is weakening an already battered economy that shrank more than 8% last year, and as foreign lenders and Tunisia's powerful unions urge speedy reforms.

Protests against inequality and police abuse have also been building. Tunisia has been politically all but deadlocked since two separate elections in 2019 put Saied into office but left a deeply fragmented parliament in which no party held more than a quarter of the seats.

The constitution worked out in 2014 after the 2011 revolution that introduced democracy gave parliament the main voice in forming a government. But the president also has a role in a complex system of approvals and vetoes. It took several months after the election for a government to form early last year, but it only lasted until the summer before falling in a scandal as the pandemic took hold.

Saied then proposed Hichem Mechichi as prime minister, but soon fell out with him despite the successful formation of a government that narrowly won parliamentary backing. Mechichi will on Tuesday put forward his proposed cabinet for a confidence vote, which he is expected to win.

The political jostling among parties and prominent figures that has accompanied each stage of the process has delayed government efforts to enact longstanding reforms. Tunisia's economy was not delivering even before the pandemic, with sluggish growth, high deficits and public debt and failing state-owned companies.