Tunis: Ahmed Hachani was chosen by Tunisian President Kais Saied to succeed Najla Bouden as prime minister, the Tunisian presidency announced early on Wednesday.
The hiring of Hachani, who most recently served as the central bank of Tunisia's director of human resources, comes as the nation is experiencing a worsening economic and social crisis.
The president has repeatedly placed the blame for problems and subpar public services, such as frequent water and electricity outages, on officials and the government in recent weeks.
Also Read: Leaked Texts Unleash Racist Storm: Finnish Minister Embroiled in Controversy
After Hachani took the constitutional oath, Saied told him, "There are great challenges that we must raise... to preserve our homeland, our state, and civil peace.
"We will work to achieve the will of our people, the desired justice... and to achieve national dignity," Saied continued.
Also Read: Burning Anger Sparks Border Tightening: Sweden's Response to Qur'an Incidents
Saied appointed Bouden as prime minister about two years ago after he ousted Hichem Mechichi as leader and assumed control of nearly all of the country's affairs in July 2021. The opposition referred to this action as a coup.
Despite worries that Tunisia wouldn't be able to pay its foreign debts due to a severe financial crisis that resulted in a shortage of many commodities like bread, farina, sugar, rice, and coffee, Bouden's government was unable to resolve the country's economic and social problems.
Also Read: Spanish Government to Evacuate Over 70 Citizens from Niger Amid Escalating Security Threat
While Saeid's government rejected any reforms that included reducing subsidies on food and energy, they claimed doing so could lead to severe social tensions. Saeid's government supported an economic reform programme to get a $1.9 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund