Tunisian PM’s Decision to Delegate Powers to Minister Stirs Debate
Arab World
Tunis - Mongi Saidani
Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh’s has decided to delegate some of his powers to Minister of State in charge of the Civil Service, Governance and the Fight against Corruption Mohamed Abbou, sparking speculation over his motives. The move reignited a debate that the two officials had made a prior agreement over this issue, similar to one struck between Rached al-Ghannouchi and late President Beji Caid Essebsi in 2013 in which they agreed to split power between them. By this extraordinary and rare government order, Abbou is now tasked with preparing and implementing government policies related to reform and updating administrative operations. He will continue to perform his duties as minister of state in charge of the civil service, governance and the fight against corruption. The administrative authority is expected to assist the minster in his tasks, according to the decree. He is now in charge of 13 administrations, some of the most important in the country, such as the High Authority for Public Procurement and Directorate-General for Public Expenditure Control. Observers explained that Fakhfakh chose Abbou over other ministers because the former was never a strong candidate for his position as prime minister. He was actually the third choice. The two other candidates had received strong support from powerful political parties, but the tables were turned in Fakhfakh’s favor when his nomination was backed by the Democratic Current, headed by Abbou, the Tahya Tounes movement, headed by former PM Youssef Chahed, and the People's Movement, headed by Zuheir al-Maghazawi. However, some government parties saw that assigning Abbou stems from his electoral pledge to combat corruption and his unyielding approach, which helped him win significant electoral gains. His Democratic Current came third in the elections. Political analyst Jamal al-Arfawi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Democratic Current was the first party to throw its support behind Fakhfakh to become prime minister. Abbou’s new powers could, therefore, be part of a prior arrangement with the premier.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2262256/tunisian-pm%E2%80%99s-decision-delegate-powers-minister-stirs-debate
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