Tunisia president sacks foreign minister amid political slugfest, economic turmoil

In what can be termed as an increasingly authoritative shift, Tunisia President Kais Saied on Tuesday dismissedOthman Jerandi as the foreign minister of the country without citing any reason. This latest firing makes the top diplomat the fourth minister to leave his position since Saied made a spectacular attempt to seize power in July 2021.

Tunisia has since then been plagued by growing political tensions.

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The president announced on its official website that Nabil Ammar, Tunisia's ambassador to the European Union, will take over as foreign minister.The trade, agriculture, and education ministries were previously replaced by Saied this year. However, Jerandi remained the country's foreign minister since September 2020.

Saied forced through a new constitution in a referendum in July 2022 that defanged the parliament and imposed a hyper-presidential administration. He then ousted the government, froze the legislature, and acquired expansive executive powers.

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There have been many teacher and transportation worker strikes in Tunisia recently, and there have also been shortages of basic necessities like milk, reported AFP.

After opposition groups called for a boycott, just 11.4% of Tunisians participated in the second round of voting in January for the now-powerless legislature. Saied is under increasing criticism from the populace, who accuses him of initiating a "coup" in the country that saw the first Arab Spring uprisings in favour of democracy.

The civil resistance in Arab Spring is still vivid in peoples'minds. A young Tunisian man Mohamed Bouazizi who sold veggies off of a barrow on December 17, 2010, lit himself on fire as a form of protest against police abuse. On January 4, 2011, Mohamed Bouazizi passed away, but not before his viral gesture sparked demonstrations against the high cost of living and the nation's autocratic president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

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Tunisian Revolution, was a protracted 28-day civil resistance movement. It culminated in a series of protests on the streets of Tunisia, which resulted in Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's overthrow in January 2011. Ultimately, it brought to a complete democratisation of the nation as well as free and democratic elections.

Since that 2011 revolution, which was sparked by persistent economic problems, none of the governments that took office have been able to make significant progress in resolving these issues. Theensuing protracted economic crisis finally led to a crisis in democracy and drastically reduced the confidence and support of the Tunisian people for the nation's young and vulnerable democratic institutions and procedures.

This further comes in the backdrop of Tunisia's protracted discussions with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout worth about $2 billion.

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