Paper
Sarah Yerkes, Natalie Triche, Amr Hamzawy
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Can a New Prime Minister Finally End Tunisia’s Political Tumult?
The current parliament is the most fractured in Tunisia’s history, with no party holding even one-quarter of the seats.
By Sarah Yerkes
Published on Aug 14, 2020
Source: World Politics Review
Following the resignation of Elyes Fakhfakh as prime minister of Tunisia in mid-July, amid corruption allegations and after just five months in office, President Kais Saied designated one of his own advisers, Hichem Mechichi, as the new prime minister. Mechichi has until Aug. 25 to form a government that can win parliamentary approval. Should he fail, Saied has the constitutional right to call for new elections—an arduous task, particularly as Tunisia struggles with a deepening economic crisis and a spike in COVID-19 cases triggered by reopening the country’s borders in late June.
Before he even takes office, Mechichi faces several hurdles, the biggest of which is cobbling together a government that simultaneously appeases enough of Tunisia’s political parties to be approved by parliament, but does not appear too partisan or vest too much power in any one group. This is a particular challenge given that the current parliament is the most fractured in Tunisia’s history, with no party holding even one-quarter of the seats.
This article was originally published by World Politics Review.
About the Author
Sarah Yerkes
Acting Co-Director and Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Sarah Yerkes is acting co-director and a senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Her research focuses on democracy and governance, U.S. foreign policy towards the Middle East and North Africa, and political and economic reform in Tunisia.
- Governance Compared: Autocracy and Democracy in Africa
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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