TUNIS — In a statement to Mosaique FM on Aug. 27, Tunisia’s former Minister of Trade Mohsen Hassan called for the swift formation of a government. He stressed the need for the government to include skilled figures capable of extricating Tunisia from the unprecedented economic and social crisis it is going through due to the inefficiency of the economic policies pursued since the 1990s.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Hassan said Tunisian President Kais Saied’s Aug. 23 decision to extend exceptional measures taken on July 25 and continue disrupting parliament’s work until further notice may deepen the economic actors’ concerns over the negative and catastrophic repercussions on the sovereign ratings of the Tunisian economy and the business and investment climate.

The exceptional measures adopted by Saied in July consisted of suspending parliament; lifting the immunity of its members; dismissing the prime minister, among other Cabinet officials; and assuming executive authority and tasks of the Public Prosecution office.

Reda el-Shakandali, director of the Center for Economic and Social Studies and Research, told Al-Monitor the current situation will have dire consequences for the future of the business climate in Tunisia if the president does not speed up the formation of a Cabinet capable of managing public affairs and entering into negotiations with international financial institutions.