Tunisia's president says PM should quit if crisis continues

16/7/2018 6:42

        Tunisia's president called on
        Sunday for Prime Minister Youssef Chahed to step down or seek a
        confidence quote if the country's political and economic crisis
        continues, withdrawing his support for the premier, who has
        clashed with the president's son.
        
        President Beji Caid Essebsi's son, Hafedh Caid Essebsi, who
        is leader of the ruling Nidaa Tounes party, called last May for
        Chahed's dismissal because of his government's failure to revive
        the economy. His call was supported by the powerful UGTT union,
        which rejected economic reforms proposed by the prime minister.
        
        "There is a difference between the parties and national
        organizations about the government, between government and key
        players like UGTT and some parties," Essebsi said in an
        interview broadcast by local Nesma TV.
        
        "If this situation continues, the prime minister must resign
        or go to the parliament to ask for confidence," he said.
        
        Chahed, who was appointed by Essebsi in 2016, has accused
        the president's son of destroying the Nidaa Tounes party, and
        said the crisis in the party has affected state institutions.
        
        The moderate Islamist party Ennahda has said the exit of the
        prime minister would hit stability at a time when the country
        needed economic reforms.
        
        Tunisia has been hailed as the Arab Spring's only democratic
        success because protests toppled autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben
        Ali in 2011 without triggering violent upheaval, as happened in
        Syria and Libya.
        
        But since then nine cabinets have failed to resolve economic
        problems including high inflation and unemployment, and
        impatience is rising among lenders such as the International
        Monetary Fund, which have kept the country afloat.
        
        Seven prime ministers have failed to fix a sluggish economy.
        Turmoil and militant attacks have deterred investors and
        tourists, eroding living standards of ordinary people and
        causing an increase in unemployment.
        
        Annual inflation hit a record high of 7.8 percent in June as
        the dinar currency tanked, making food imports more expensive.