Known for Corruption but Rewarded as Ministers in the New Tunisian Government

Two weeks after Tunisian President Kais Saied named Najla Bouden as the country’s new prime minister, Tunisia’s new Cabinet was formed and sworn in on Monday, 11 October 2021. Kais Saied unveiled the new Tunisian government, but he gave no sign when he would renounce his close total control after seizing powers in July 2021. 

However, the list of this newly formed government had names which were known for corruption and dishonesty when heading official institutions. They were not held accountable, on the contrary, they were rewarded in the new government by being named as ministers to solve and reconstruct the political, economic and social crises. Also, some others were Kais Said’s strong allies.

 

After Power Grab

Finally, after 11 weeks of holding all powers in his hands, the Tunisian President Kais Saied named the new government headed by Najla Bouden on Monday 11 October 2021. Last Month, Saied declared that the new government will ultimately answer to him rather than Prime Minister Najla Bouden. Accordingly, many of the most important cabinet members, including the foreign and finance ministers, were already serving Saied temporarily, while the new interior minister is one of his loyal allies, as reported by Reuters.

Adding to this, many of the list names are known for corruption when they headed some official institutions. 

The government included Judge Laila Jafal who was given the Minister of Justice portfolio. In fact, the woman was a former Minister of State Properties in the government of the former Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, but she was dismissed on February 15, 2021. While she was at the head of the Ministry of Property, Laila Jafal was accused of interfering with the judicial proceedings and trying to pressure some judges to release a person sentenced to prison.

In Attessia Tunisian Channel, the former head of the Tunisian Association of Judges, Khaled Abbas, confirmed at the time that Jafal took advantage of her position as a minister in order to contact a judge and pressure him in every way to release a bank employee who stole citizens' money.

The academic and poet Amal Moussa was also in the new government list as Minister of Women, despite her clear support for the former presidential candidate, Nabil Karoui, who ran in the second round of the 2019 presidential elections against the current president, Kais Saied. Nabil Karoui is now in jail for money laundering and other accusations. 

The Majority of the new cabinet were head of official administrations accused of corruption and bribery, but they were not charged with any. Instead, they are awarded now as Ministers to fight corruption in the country.

 

Deepen Crisis

Saied's last decisions have cast doubt on Tunisia's democratic gains since its 2011 revolution which inspired the world and have also delayed efforts to attain a financial rescue package from the International Monetary Fund.

"I am confident we will move from frustration to hope," Saied said at the ceremony to swear in the government. “The period of exceptional measures would continue "as long as there is an imminent danger,” he added.

With his seizure of powers and with the suspension of the elected parliament, the Tunisian President thrust the democratic path to an unknown future as he gave no clear program to restore normal constitutional order.

He has given himself the power to amend the 2014 constitution by appointing a committee. Saied has given no more details except that he will soon announce a dialogue with Tunisians.

After years of economic stagnation and political crisis, Tunisian President’s intervention on July 25 was broadly welcomed by most of the Tunisian People who were fed up with the Parliament conflicts and the country’s bad situation. However, 11 weeks had passed, and Saied did not present any solutions which had deepened the political paralysis. 

In fact, the delay has aggravated Tunisia's already urgent need for financial support by pausing talks with “the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a rescue package, and the Central Bank governor has warned of dire economic consequences.”

However, there were growing fears of street confrontations between his opponents, who fear returning to an authoritarian system, and his supporters, who greet it as regaining the revolution from a corrupt elite who are ruling.

This had pushed Saied to name Najla Bouden a Prime Minister to form a new government.

 

The Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden, who was appointed by Saied last month, said that the new government's main priority would be tackling corruption in the swearing-in ceremony that took place at the Presidential Palace of Carthage. In spite of facing a looming fiscal crisis, Bouden did not mention any program of economic reforms.

The list of the new cabinet included eight out of the government's 23 ministerial portfolios that were given to women.

As if Bouden is sending a message that men couldn’t save the country but now women will surely do, and again she gave no program for economic reforming and reconstruction.

Also, in a televised speech following the government formation, Bouden said her government is committed to “improving services and citizens' living conditions” and restoring the international community's confidence in the North African country without mentioning how.