Tunisian President Kais Saied, who is seeking a second presidential term in the October elections, decided to change the government and replaced key ministers in a sweeping reshuffle, intending to bring fresh faces into the government.
On Sunday evening, Saied announced major changes in the cabinet in his address to the new members of the government. The positions affected included those of the ministers of defense, foreign affairs, and prime minister, while those of finance, justice, and the interior remained in their posts.
Kamel Maddouri, former Minister of Social Affairs, was appointed as the new Prime Minister of Tunisia earlier this month, replacing Ahmed Hachani. Khaled Shili, who served as Tunisian Ambassador to Jordan in 2017, assumed the role of Defense Minister. Mohamed Ali Nafti, who previously held the position of Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs from September 2020 to July 2021, was appointed as the new Foreign Affairs Minister.
As Tunisia grapples with a financial crisis, recurring power outages, and shortages of goods and medicines, Saied's cabinet reshuffle is seen as an attempt to inject new energy into the government and win over voters ahead of the upcoming election.
Tunisian presidential elections are held by direct universal suffrage in two rounds. A second round is held if no candidate secures a majority in the first round, as the two candidates with the most votes advance to a runoff. This year's potential second round of the election is reportedly scheduled for October 24.