Tunisia: Ministers of finance and education sacked

Tunisia’‘s government of national unity appears to be facing a change of structure as the prime minister Youssef Chahed on Sunday sacked the disputed Ministers of Finance and Education minister.

In a partial reshuffle decided by the prime minister on Sunday, Slim khalbouss was appointed acting minister of Education and Fadhel Abdelkafi acting Minister of Finance.

Abdelkafi is currently serving as Minister of Development, Investment and International Co-operation and Khalbous holds the ministerial portfolio of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

The former Finance minister had come under criticism after she suggested this month Tunisia’s central bank would reduce its interventions so the value of the dinar steadily declines.

Chahed’s spokesman said the premier had replaced Finance Minister Lamia Zribi with Minister of Investment Fadhel Abd Kefi, without giving a reason for the dismissal.

Six years after its uprising ended Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali’s autocratic rule, Tunisia is praised for its progress to democracy. But successive governments failed to push through some of the painful reforms needed to overhaul public spending.

The International Monetary Fund had earlier this month agreed to pay out a delayed $320 million second trench of the North African country’s loan program after talks to agree on reform priorities.