Tunisia: President Saied dismisses Economy Minister

Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed the Minister of Economy and Planning on Tuesday and appointed the Minister of Finance as interim head of the ministry, the presidency of the Republic announced without giving any explanation.

In a brief statement published on its official page, the Presidency said that the Head of State "has decided to terminate the duties of Minister of Economy and Planning Samir Saïed".

Finance Minister Sihem Boughdiri has been entrusted with the "provisional" task of acting in his place, the statement added, without giving further details.

This decision comes at a time when the country is going through an unprecedented economic and financial crisis. Inflation reached 9.3% in August, and growth in the second quarter did not exceed 0.6%, according to official figures.

With a debt equivalent to around 80% of its GDP, Tunisia is engaged in arduous negotiations with the International Monetary Fund to obtain a new loan of two billion dollars to cover its budget deficit.