Youssef Chahed: ministerial reshuffle was meant to end political crisis

Tunisian Head of Government Youssef Chahed said on Monday that the government’s reshuffle he made a week ago was aimed at putting an end to the political crisis in the country.

This came in a speech during a plenary session of the parliament, which was aimed at giving trust to Chahed’s government, following the ministerial reshuffle, which was boycotted and rejected by deputies of the Nidaa Tounes (51 deputies / 217).

Chahed added that “Since taking office in August 2016, his government has been working under random backlashes coming from the allies more than the opposition,” in an implicit reference to the explosive dispute between him and the Executive Director of Nidaa Tounes Hafedh Caid Essebsi, President Beji Caid Essebsi’s son.

Chahed pointed out that he carried out the ministerial reshuffle to “put an end to the political crisis and to determine those who support the government and those against it.”

He also stressed that the reshuffle was carried out with “full respect for the Constitution,” and that “the Head of the Government has the absolute freedom to make a reshuffle as long as it is not related to foreign and defence affairs.”

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Chahed praised, “The recent statements of President Essebsi, in which he emphasized the Constitution’s supremacy, and that it is the only way to resolve any political crisis.”

He pointed out:

We did not think for a moment that we would disrespect President Essebsi, or underestimate his role in our political regime.

The Head of Government pointed out that there are “people, he did not mention, who are trying to provoke conflicts between the president and us, to serve narrow interests. These conflicts will nevertheless occur because we recognise Essebsi’s historical role in the democratic transition.”

On the work of his government in the upcoming phase, Chahed said, “We will mainly focus on the economy by providing further support to growth and investment indicators.”

The government’s work will also focus on the social field through “combating inflation, controlling prices, and taking all necessary measures to ensure successful legislative and presidential elections that are scheduled for 2019.”

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163 out of the 217 deputies have attended the meeting while granting trust to the new members of the Government requires an absolute majority approval of 109 deputies.

Last week, Chahed announced a wide ministerial reshuffle, including 13 ministerial portfolios and five deputy ministers, in a move observers say has created new political balances in the country.

The new formation included 29 ministers and ten state clerics, after negotiations that involved several political parties and from which Nidaa Tounes, one of the poles of the ruling coalition in the country, was officially absent.