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Four Months in the Making: Tunisia's New Government

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Four Months in the Making: Tunisia's New Government FOUR MONTHS IN THE MAKING: TUNISIA’S NEW GOVERNMENT April 9, 2020 After four months of political wrangling following October’s parliamentary elections, Tunisia finally has a new government, led by Prime Minister Elyès Fakhfakh. The cabinet comprises a broad six-party coalition and several independent figures. This new government will face an unprecedented challenge from the COVID-19 pandemic, on top of continuing economic challenges and an ongoing democratic transition that is entering its ninth year (since the 2011 revolution). THE CABINET As minister of finance from 2012 to 2014, Elyès Fakhfakh negotiated HEAD OF GOVERNMENT Tunisia’s $1.7 billion loan program with the International Monetary Fund. (PRIME MINISTER) As a member of the center-left Ettakatol, Fakhfakh ran for president in 2019, but received just .34% of the vote. When nominated as prime ELYÈS FAKHFAKH minister, he gave up his party membership to satisfy concerns about his political independence. SOVEREIGN MINISTRIES The sovereign ministries are ministries that serve a security or MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRSDISTRIBUTIONMINISTER OFOF JUSTICE MINISTRIESMINISTER OF THE INTERIOR MINISTER OF DEFENSE foreign policy NOUREDDINE ERRAY THOURAYA JERIBI KHÉMIRI HICHEM MECHICHI IMED HAZGUI function. Independent Independent Independent Independent PARTY DISTRIBUTION OF MINISTRIES DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S TAHYA NIDAA TUNISIAN ENNAHDA INDEPENDENTS CURRENT MOVEMENT TOUNES TOUNES ALTERNATIVE Health Education Employment Environment Government & Tourism & Agriculture, Relations with Higher Public Service, & Vocational Investment & Parliamentary Handicrafts Fisheries, Constitutional Education Governance, & Training International Relations & Water Bodies, Civil & Scientific Anti-Corruption Trade Cooperation Resources Society, & Human Rights Research State Property Culture Housing, & Land Affairs Energy, Mines, Religious Affairs Equipment, & & Renewable Social Affairs Spatial Planning Energy Technology MAIN OPPOSITION Local Affairs Finance Women, Family, Transport Minister to & Children Youth & Sports the Head of Assistant Government Minister of State responsible for for Foreign Major Projects Affairs Industry Assistant Minister of QALB FREE DESTOURIAN AL KARAMA State for Water TOUNES PARTY COALITION Resources THE PARLIAMENT VOTING BLOCS SPEAKER OF RACHED GHANNOUCHI PARLIAMENT Ennahda party president While many parties demonstrate strong intraparty cohesion, some have members who caucus with other blocs. Similarly, while some independent members vote 217 consistently with one party or PARTIES seats bloc, others remain unaligned. ENNAHDA [54 SEATS] ENNAHDA [52 seats] VOICE OF 1 INDEPENDENTS [2 seats] THE FARMERS seat ENNAHDA 52 (RENAISSANCE) seats A party focused on agrarianism DEMOCRATIC BLOC [40] Self-described “Muslim DEMOCRATIC CURRENT [22] democratic” party ‘ICH TOUNSI 1 HARAKAT ECHAAB [15] (LIVE TUNISIAN) seat VOICE OF THE FARMERS [1] MACHROU TOUNES 4 POPULAR FRONT [1] QALB TOUNES 29 (PROJECT TUNISIA) seats A notionally populist, privately [1] (HEART OF TUNISIA) seats funded “citizen movement” INDEPENDENT A center-left secular party that shuns the “party” label Populist nationalist party of former presidential candidate QALB TOUNES [29] & media mogul Nabil Karoui NIDAA TOUNES 3 seats 1 (CALL FOR TUNISIA) CURRENT OF LOVE seat AL KARAMA BLOC [19] A “big tent” party founded as a ATTAYAR ADDIMOQRATI 22 A populist, center-right party (DEMOCRATIC CURRENT) seats secular alternative to Ennahda; AL KARAMA COALITION [17] party of the late president INDEPENDENT [1] Also referred to as Attayar, Beji Caid Essebsi a social-democratic, pro- SOCIALIST 1 UNAFFILIATED [1] revolution party DESTOURIAN PARTY seat AL BADIL ETTOUNSI 3 A revamped version of the FREE DESTOURIAN PARTY [16] (TUNISIAN ALTERNATIVE) seats original secular nationalist party AL KARAMA 17 created by Habib Bourguiba (THE DIGNITY) COALITION seats Anti-establishment party NATIONAL REFORM BLOC [16] A far-right coalition of Islamists focused on rebuilding trust between citizens & government & conservatives SOCIAL 1 MACHROU TOUNES [4] DEMOCRATIC UNION seat NIDAA TOUNES [3] REPUBLICAN 3 A small, left-leaning coalition AL BADIL ETTOUNSI [3] FREE DESTOURIAN 16 PEOPLE S UNION seats AFEK TOUNES [2] seats ’ comprising five smaller parties PARTY ‘ICH TOUNSI [1] A populist center-right, INDEPENDENTS [3] Nationalist party composed protectionist party mainly of former members of POPULAR FRONT 1 PARTY seat Ben Ali’s RCD TAHYA TOUNES [14] AFEK TOUNES 2 Leftist, nationalist party that also (HORIZON OF TUNISIA) seats supports market liberalization HARAKAT ECHAAB 15 (PEOPLE’S MOVEMENT) seats A pro-business, center-right AL-MOSTAKBAL BLOC [8] secular party 13 A socialist, secular, & INDEPENDENT LISTS seats CURRENT OF LOVE [1] nationalist party REPUBLICAN PEOPLE’S UNION [3] ERRAHMA 2 SOCIALIST DESTOURIAN PARTY [1] (THE MERCY PARTY) seats INDEPENDENTS [3] TAHYA TOUNES 14 16 (LONG LIVE TUNISIA) seats Far-right Islamist party UNAFFILIATED seats A modernist, centrist party Elected to a party list but, no NON-ALIGNED [21] focused on economic reforms longer associated with that list.
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