Tunisia court looks into dispute over gov’t reshuffle

Tunisia’s Administrative Court started to look into a legal dispute between the presidency and government over the recent government reshuffle.

“The government has requested the court’s opinion regarding the legal aspects related to the cabinet reshuffle as the court has a jurisdiction to provide an advisory opinion,” court spokesman Imad Al-Gabri told Anadolu Agency today.

He said the requested opinion is related to the current dispute with the presidency over the “constitutional oath” of the new ministers in the government.

The spokesman, however, said the court opinion is not binding.

On Friday, Prime Minister Hisham El-Mechishi said he requested Tunisian President Kais Saied set a date for newly appointed ministers to take the constitutional oath after they gained confidence from parliament on 26 January.

Saied announced his objection to the measures that accompanied the reshuffle as, in his opinion, they lack a constitutional basis, and he expressed reservations over some ministers.

READ: Tunisia General Labour Union calls on new ministers to quit to end crisis