Tunisia Cabinet Wins Parliament Confidence Vote

Tunisia’s parliament has granted its vote of confidence to the new cabinet led by Prime Minister-designate Hichem Mechichi.

A total of 134 deputies voted in favor of forming the cabinet in a vote in parliament which lasted more than 14 hours.

The cabinet would be the third Tunisia has seen since October and the ninth since the revolution that brought down the North African autocratic regime in 2011 and triggered Arab Spring uprisings across the region.

The parliament voted down a previous prime minister-designate earlier this year after a marathon debate.

- Prime MInister Designate Hichem Mechichi's Speech-

During his speech to parliament, Mechichi discussed reducing tax evasion and supporting institutions affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Mechichi, 46, is a former interior minister and lawyer who studied in Tunisia and France.

He proposed a government with 25 ministers and three secretaries of state that includes seven women and a blind man.

If the government had been rejected, the president Kais Saied would have been obliged to dissolve parliament and call a new election but this surely has been avoided by the confidence vote.

Mechichi, was not nominated by any party but President Saied appointed him as premier last month after Elyes Fakhfakh resigned from the post over allegations of a conflict of interest.

Mechichi’s cabinet should take an oath in front of President Kais Saied later this week.