Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has appointed Hichem Fourati minister of interior aiming to support the government's stability and to dismiss the resignation option.
Parliamentary and political parties welcomed the choice of Fourati, who graduated from the National Institute of Administration in 1996, from which the majority of state officials including former Interior Minister Hadi al-Majdoub have received their degrees,
A number of observers in Tunisia believe that Chahed, through this appointment, averted from surrendering to a no confidence parliamentary notion. However, Chahed agreed at the same time to head to the parliament for a vote of confidence on the new minister of interior and possibly other ministers he might appoint in the coming days.
The question that remains is whether this step pleases President Beji Caid Essebsi, who has given the prime minister two choices - either to resign or to head to the parliament - and has launched a series of consultations with Nidaa Tounes party leaders to urge them to overcome the past. The second question is how will the leaders of the ruling party, pro-Essebsi, respond to this step?
In contrast, a number of journalists and politicians welcomed the new appointment of the minister of interior and lauded his wide experience in the security sector and his non-involvement in political disputes.
Osama Al-Sagheer expected Ennahda to vote in favor of the new minister of interior, who was appointed after a campaign of criticism and accusations, in light of the government’s decision issued weeks earlier to dismiss the controversial minister of interior, Lotfi Brahem, and to assign the justice and interior ministries to Ghazi Jeribi.
