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Tunisian PM designate announces list of nominated cabinet

Xinhua, January 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Tunisian Prime Minister-designate Habib Essid has officially presented his list of nominated ministers and members of cabinet to President Beji Caid Essebsi on Friday.

Essid's suggested government consists of 22 ministers, 2 delegated ministers, 14 ministerial secretaries and a secretary general of the cabinet.

Following his meeting with Essebsi, Essid held a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Carthage in which he announced the names of the cabinet members.

"After a series of long meetings with political parties, civil society representatives, who provided their suggestions and visions about the government's plans and the challengers ahead," stated Essebsi.

The nominated cabinet consists of nine women, including 3 ministers: minister of training and employment Salma Rekik, minister of women affairs Khadija Cherif, and Latifa Khedher, minister of culture.

The nominated cabinet consists of politically independent members and others who are affiliated with Nidaa Tounes (7 ministers) and the Free Patriotic Union (UPL) (3 ministers.)

While Nidaa Tounes won the majority of the Parliament's seats (86) the UPL came third with 16 seats. The Islamic Party of Ennahdha, second power at the Parliament (69 seats,) was not represented in Essid's cabinet.

The nominated minister of the interior is jurist and former governor Najem Gharsalli. He was a part of Essebsi's transitional cabinet of 2011.

Taieb Baccouche, secretary general of the Nidaa Tounes party was nominated as Minister of Foreign Affairs. And the new minister of defense, Farhat Horchani, is an independent constitutional expert.

"Ennahdha will examine the profiles of the new ministers and decide its stance soon about the new government," stated the spokesperson of Ennahdha, Ziad Laadhari.

The suggested government still needs the approval of the Parliament in order to be sworn in.

Once approved by members of the Parliament, Prime Minister-designate Essid is to be officially assigned as new Prime Minister, replacing the current PM Mehdi Jomaa.

The official ceremony is to be take place next week. Endit