Tunisia: opposition criticises Saied's dismissal of minister

Opposition groups in Tunisia have criticised President Kais Saied’s decision to dismiss Minister of Trade and Export Development Fadhila Rebhi as well as the Governor of Sfax, Fakher Al-Fakhfakh, describing the move as an acknowledgement of the “failure” of his course, Al-Quds Al-Arabi has reported. The dismissals were announced on Friday in a statement released by the Tunisian presidency.

“Now everyone who collaborated with Kais Saied, including ministers and governors, should prepare themselves to become ‘scapegoats’,” said Rafik Abdessalem, an official in the opposition Ennahda Movement. “He will start to dismiss them one by one until he is the only one left standing. Whenever he faces a crisis he will throw one of his ministers or officials out to make them accountable for his own failure.”

According to the head of Al-Majd Party, the dismissals have been prompted by the very low turnout for last month’s legislative election. “Saied wants to absorb public anger to pave the way for the next round of the election which he wants to produce a parliament acceptable to himself and able to impose the constitution that he has drafted,” said Abdel Wahab Hani. “It is dangerous to leave vital ministerial, state and administrative institutions without anyone in charge. Although he will claim that he wants to ‘save’ the state, he is destroying it and creating chaos.”

Such dismissals, added Habib Bouajila of the Citizens Against the Coup movement, seek to imply that the president is looking for solutions to the dilemmas he faces so that the promised stability is achieved. “When his course falters, he needs scapegoats. The only way out, though, is for Saied to step down so that the country can get back on the course of legitimacy.”

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