Desk Report
Publish: 29 Sep 2021, 07:58 pm
Najla Bouden, Tunisia's first-ever female prime minister-designate || Photo: Collected
Tunisia's president on
Wednesday named geologist Najla Bouden as the country's first-ever female prime
minister-designate, two months after he seized wide-ranging powers.
"The President of the
Republic Kais Saied charged Najla Bouden with forming a government as quickly
as possible," said a statement from his office published on Facebook.
Saied on July 25 sacked the
government of Hichem Mechichi, suspended parliament, lifted MPs' immunity and
took over the judiciary, after months of political deadlock in the face of a
pressing economic crisis and mounting coronavirus deaths.
He followed up last week
with moves allowing him to rule by decree.
He has faced repeated calls
to name a government.
Saied's office published a video of him meeting Bouden in his office and charging her with presenting a cabinet "in the coming hours or days".
He repeatedly emphasised the
"historic" nature of the nomination of a woman, calling it "an
honour for Tunisia and a hommage to Tunisian women".
Saied said the new
government's main mission would be to "put an end to the corruption and
chaos that have spread throughout many state institutions".
Bouden will be the Tunisia's
tenth prime minister since a 2011 uprising overthrew longtime dictator Zine El
Abedine Ben Ali, sparking the Arab Spring revolts.
The country has won
international plaudits for its democratic transition but many Tunisians have
seen little improvement in their lives and have become disillusioned with a
dysfunctional and corrupt political process.
Saied's moves placed vast
executive powers in the hands of the president, who will himself head the
cabinet.
His rulings on September 22
also extended the suspension of parliament.
Najla Bouden, the same age
as Saied at 63, is a former director at PromESsE, a higher education reform
project, and has held senior positions at Tunisia's higher education ministry.
Originally from Kairouan,
she is a French-educated geologist with a doctorate in geological engineering,
and is a lecturer at Tunisia's national engineering school.
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Topic : Tunisia Najla Bouden
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