Tunisia’s youth seek role in forming new government
After parliament recently rejected Tunisia’s first effort at forming a new government since the September election, the president has apparently responded to young people's demand to have a political voice.
TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisian President Kais Saied has tasked Elyes Fakhfakh, a former minister of both tourism and finance, with forming the country’s next government. Saied's nomination of Fakhfakh for prime minister seems to be a response to the calls of young Tunisians.
This came after the Tunisian parliament rejected Jan. 10 a government proposed by Habib Jemli, who had been nominated for this task by the Islamist Ennahda party. Jemli’s proposed government did not get the required votes of confidence, set at 109 in the 217-seat parliament, which gave Saied the opportunity to designate Fakhfakh.
Fakhfakh, an engineer by training, seems an appealing candidate for the Tunisian young people, who launched a campaign calling on politicians to allow the country’s youth to choose the prime minister and Cabinet members.
The campaign “Yezziyom” — "Yezzi" meaning “Enough” in colloquial Tunisian Arabic — has gathered more than 6,000 followers since it was launched on social media Jan. 14.
