Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi dismissed on Tuesday Culture Minister Walid al-Zaidi over his refusal to implement the government order to halt all cultural events due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Mechichi has appointed Tourism Minister Habib Ammar as his acting replacement.
Questions have been raised over the PM’s move, significantly after Zaidi had expressed his support for anti-government protests.
Observers wondered whether the dismissal was linked to differences between the premier and President Kais Saeid whereby ministers who are backed by the president are to be sacked should they stir any tensions.
They added that Zaidi’s sacking could mark the beginning of Mechichi’s implementation of a government reshuffle demanded by the parliamentary coalition that supports the government. The coalition is composed of the moderate Islamist Ennahda Movement, Heart of Tunisia Party and “Dignity Coalition”.
This is not the first time that the PM attempts to relieve Zaidi, the country’s first blind minister, from his post. Zaidi had initially refused to be appointed to the cabinet, saying he prefers university work to politics, but Saeid insisted and imposed his appointment in the new government. Opposition parties at the time viewed the move as motivated by reaping electoral gains.
Zaidi, in refusing to implement the coronavirus restrictions, told a gathering of Tunisian artists on Monday that his ministry had received no order to bar such meetings. He added that he did not sign such an order, stressing that his ministry will not prevent artists from carrying out their activities.
In turn, protesters dismissed the government order as another sign of its selective policy in taking decisions to impose lockdowns due to the pandemic. They noted that the government had not announced that it was closing cafes, restaurants, bars and other establishments as part of the restrictions.
