Prime Minister of Tunisia

Prime Minister of Tunisia
Prime Minister of Tunisia
رئيس حكومة تونس ( Cabinet of Tunisia
Style	Prime Minister; (informal) ; His/Her Excellency; (formal, diplomatic)
Type	Head of government (de jure)
Status	Head of government
Member of	Cabinet
Reports to	President; Parliament;
Residence	Dar El Bey
Appointer	President of Tunisia
Term length	Variable
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Tunisia
Formation	12 February 1759; 265 years ago
First holder	Rejeb Khaznadar
Salary	8000TND monthly; (US$ 2,867)
Website	www.pm.gov.tn

The prime minister of Tunisia (

government of Tunisia. The prime minister directs the executive branch along with the president and, together with the prime minister's cabinet, is accountable to the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, to the prime minister's political party and, ultimately, to the electorate

for the policies and actions of the executive and the legislature.

The office was established by Monarch

presidential republic

, giving the president sweeping powers while largely limiting the role of the parliament.

The president appoints a prime minister, the nominee of the winning party in the

vote of no confidence

in the Assembly of People's Representatives.

45 people have held the office since 1759. The current prime minister has been Ahmed Hachani since 2 August 2023.

History

The Prime Minister during the era of the Tunisian monarchy is the head of the government who was responsible for its affairs and was appointed and dismissed by the

Bey. This office was created in 1759 with the beginning of the rule of Ali II and Rejeb Khaznadar

was the first to take it, becoming the first Prime Minister in the history of Tunisia.

With its creation, this office was the preserve of the

Kheireddine Pacha

and others.

Mohammed Aziz Bouattour is considered the first indigenous Tunisian to hold the office in 1882. He is the longest-serving Prime Minister in the history of Tunisia with a period of nearly 25 years, and during his term, the French protectorate was established in Tunisia.

Throughout this period, the Prime Minister was not partisan because he was appointed by the monarch, in addition to the absence of parliamentary election until independence, when Habib Bourguiba became the first Prime Minister to be appointed through the 1956 election.

There were two exceptions related to

Muhammad VII Munsif did not coordinate with the French General Resident

the appointment of the new Prime Minister, which caused a political crisis that led to his dismissal.

The office was abolished after Parliament abolished the monarchy,

semi-presidential

.

Appointment

After the election, the president nominate the candidate of the party which gained the most votes to form a government within a month. The nominee must submit its program to the Assembly of the Representatives of the People and get the trust of the majority of its members before being formally appointed Prime Minister by the president. If it fails to form a government or if it does not get the confidence, the president initiates consultations with the political parties to find the best candidate. If four months after the election, the Assembly did not give confidence in the prime minister, the president can call a new election.

The prime minister swears to the following oath in the presence of the president:

I swear by Almighty God to work faithfully for the good of Tunisia, to respect its Constitution and laws, scrupulously to their interests and serve loyally.

Constitutional powers

The powers of the prime minister are established by the current Constitution of Tunisia of 2014. The prime minister is primarily responsible for domestic policy, while foreign policy, defense and domestic security are handled by the president.^[2]

The prime minister is responsible for:

Creating, amending and dissolving ministries (Except ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs which require the president's approval).
Creating, amending and dissolving public institutions, public entities and administrative departments.
Issuing governmental decrees after consulting the Council of Ministers.
Shall endorse and sign, where appropriate, regulatory orders issued by ministers.
Request the parliament to give vote of confidence to their government.

The prime minister, together with the president, represent Tunisia at home and abroad.

In the event the president is temporarily unable to carry out his duties, the prime minister serves as Acting President for a maximum of 60 days. If the disability is permanent or the result of the president's resignation or death, the president of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People becomes interim president for a period of 45 to 90 days pending new elections.

Timeline

Footnotes

^ "La Misère de nos députés". Leaders.
^ Anthony Dworkin (12 September 2019). "Tunisia's unpredictable elections". European Council on Foreign Relations.

External links

World Statesmen - Tunisia

[1] "La Misère de nos députés". Leaders.

[2] Anthony Dworkin (12 September 2019). "Tunisia's unpredictable elections". European Council on Foreign Relations.

[1]

[2]

v t e Prime ministers of Tunisia (List)
Bahi Ladgham (1969–1970) Hedi Amara Nouira (1970–1980) Mohammed Mzali (1980–1986) Rachid Sfar (1986–1987) Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (1987) Hédi Baccouche (1987–1989) Hamed Karoui (1989–1999) Mohamed Ghannouchi (1999–2011) Beji Caid Essebsi (2011) Hamadi Jebali (2011–2013) Ali Laarayedh (2013–2014) Mehdi Jomaa (2014–2015) Habib Essid (2015–2016) Youssef Chahed (2016–2020) Elyes Fakhfakh (2020) Hichem Mechichi (2020–2021) Najla Bouden (2021–2023) Ahmed Hachani (Since 2023)
List