Tunis: Tunisia’s premier-designate called for “sacrifices” on Friday as parliament convened to vote on a cabinet line-up he has proposed to tackle pressing economic and security challenges.
It is likely that a majority of parliament’s 217 members will vote in favour of the line-up, making Yousuf Shahed, at 40, the country’s youngest prime minister since it won independence from France in 1956.
But as Tunisia continues to find its bearings after the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time dictator Zain Al Abidine Bin Ali, Shahed would also be the North African nation’s sixth premier in less than six years.
The prime minister-designate addressed the assembly on Friday morning ahead of the vote of confidence, which was not expected before 2000 GMT.
Shahed stressed the “necessity” of his proposed unity government to address mounting economic challenges not resolved since the 2011 revolution.
“We have until now been unable to realise the objectives of the revolution. Our youth have lost hope, the trust of citizens in the state has decreased,” he said.
“We are all responsible” and “will all have to make sacrifices”.
The premier-designate, whose speech was met with resounding applause, said his government would give priority to fighting corruption and “terrorism”.
While Tunisia is considered a rare success story of the Arab Spring, the authorities have failed to resolve the issues of poverty, unemployment, regional disparities and corruption that preceded Bin Ali’s fall.
If his government is approved, Shahed will also have to address security in the country after a wave of terror attacks, including two that killed dozens of foreign tourists last year.
Shahed was appointed by President Beji Qaid Al Sebsi early this month after lawmakers passed a vote of no confidence in premier Habib Al Sid’s government following just 18 months in office.
On Saturday, Shahed — a member of Al Sebsi’s Nidaa Tunis party — said he would head a 27-member cabinet, which will also include 14 ministers of state, eight women “in important” positions and “14 young” ministers.
The premier-designate said that the line-up would remain unchanged despite reservations among several allied parties.
Shahed, a liberal who was local affairs minister before his nomination, should get around 60 votes from the Nidaa Tunis party from which he hails.
He should also be able to count on the votes of 69 lawmakers from the Islamist Ennahda party, the largest in parliament.
Rashed Ghannoushi’s party on Sunday said it had reservations over the line-up, in which it has three ministers, but said these would not prevent it from giving the proposed cabinet its vote of confidence.
Shahed may also win votes from the 24 lawmakers of the Al Hurra bloc, created after a split from Nidaa Tunis, and the 10 representatives of the liberal Afek Tunis party.
The vote on the new cabinet comes after Tunisia in January witnessed its worst social unrest since the 2011 uprising.
