Ghannouchi: Ennahda opposes PM dismissal

The head of Tunisia’s Ennahda movement, Rachid Ghannouchi, said his group does not see any interest in toppling the government of Prime Minister Youssef Chahed.

“This will drag the country into a vacuum for about three to four months,” he told reporters on Saturday during a mayoral forum, organized by his movement.

He said the Tunisian premier is likely to make a cabinet reshuffle in the coming period.

“The reshuffle could include six portfolios,” Ghannouchi said.

Chahed’s government has been under fire in recent months over worsening economic conditions in the country amid calls for the prime minister to resign.

Earlier this month, Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi called on the prime minister to quit or seek a confidence vote if the country’s political and economic crisis continues.

In May, Essebsi’s son, Hafedh Caid Essebsi, who is leader of the ruling Nidaa Tounes party, called for Chahed’s dismissal, saying his government “does not represent his party”.

Chahed was appointed as prime minister by Essebsi in 2016.