Tunisian president sacks 2 more ministers

TUNIS, Tunisia

A week after dismissing the government, Tunisia’s President Kais Saied on Monday issued presidential orders to sack and replace two more ministers.

According to a presidential statement, the orders dismissed Ali al-Kaali, the minister of economy, finance and investment support, and appointed Siham al-Boughdiri as his successor.

Mohamed El-Fadil Karim, the minister of communication technologies and also acting minister of agriculture, fisheries, and water resources, was also relieved of his duties and replaced by Nizar Bennaji.

Last week, President Saied dismissed the government of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, froze parliament, and assumed executive authority with the assistance of a new prime minister.

Since July 25, Saied sacked a number of top officials, including Defense Minister Ibrahim al-Bartajy and acting Justice Minister Hasnaa bin Suleiman.

Saied insists that his exceptional measures are meant to "save" the country, while his critics accuse him of orchestrating a coup.

Tunisia has been seen as the only country that succeeded in carrying out a democratic transition among a group of Arab countries that witnessed popular revolutions in the early 2010s that toppled their ruling regimes, including Egypt, Libya, and Yemen.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat in Ankara