‘Severe Crisis!’ Tunisian President Sacks Finance Minister

OwelekeTV — Tunisian President, Kais Saied on Wednesday sacked Finance Minister Sihem Boughdiri and named Michkat Khaldi, a judge, as new finance minister.

Khaldi took the oath before the president at Carthage Palace, the presidency said in statement. Boughdiri has been in office since 2021.

Boughdiri’s dismissal comes as the North African country’s public finances face a severe crisis that has led to shortages of key commodities including sugar, rice, coffee and cooking gas.

Khaldi, a judge has been since last year the head of the Criminal Reconciliation Committee, which was established by the president to try to reach a settlement with businessmen accused of corruption in exchange for returning funds to the state.

In an effort to mobilize resources this year, the government raised taxes on middle- and high-income earners and resorted to borrowing directly from the central bank worth $2.2 billion to pay urgent debts.

The new finance minister had headed a national commission tasked with recovering embezzled public funds.

Tunisia has over the past two years suffered sporadic shortages of basic items such as milk, sugar and flour.

Recently, there has also been a scarcity of domestic gas cylinders, which are widely used for cooking and heating.

Saied Sacked Prime Minister

Recall that Saied sacked Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani and replaced him with the social affairs minister.

The statement from the president’s office late on Wednesday did not specify why Hachani was removed.

Hachani had taken office on August 1 last year, replacing Najla Bouden, who was also dismissed without an official reason by Saied.

lenges, including securing the country’s food and energy needs.

His replacement, Kamel Madouri, had only taken on the social affairs portfolio in May.