How will the government of Tunisia move with the IMF
All the details on the new government of Tunisia and the role of the new finance minister with international economic organizations starting with the IMF
Tunisia has a new government. President Kais Saied announced today that he has approved the names selected by Prime Minister Najla Bouden Romdhane. The news comes eleven weeks after the dismissal of the previous executive and the suspension of Parliament by Saied himself, who had assumed power on 25 July. His moves had been deemed a "coup" by his opponents.
"I am confident that we will go from frustration to hope," Saied said at the ceremony as he railed against "anyone who threatens the state."
POLITICAL MAQUILLAGE
The decision to put Bouden Romdhane at the head of the government might seem revolutionary as this is the first time for a woman in Tunisia and the Arab world, but in reality her powers will be contained and very limited by the growing authoritarianism of the President.
As Fida Hamammi, a Tunisian activist and researcher who coordinates the International Women's League for Peace and Freedom in North Africa and the Middle East, wrote on Twitter, there is nothing to celebrate because this story demonstrates how a woman can become Prime Minister only when this role "is completely emptied of any power, when it is limited to being a face and executor of orders given by a man".
THE NEW GOVERNMENT
The new government is made up of 23 members including 9 women.
The list includes: Laila Jaffal, Minister of Justice; Imed Memmiche, Minister of Defense; Samir Saeed, Minister of Economy and Planning; Malek Ezzahi, Minister of Social Affairs; Nayla Nouira Gondi, Minister of Industry and Energy; Fadila al Rabihi bin Hamida, Minister of Commerce; Mahmoud Elias Hamza, Minister of Agriculture; Ali Mrabet, Minister of Health; Fathi el Salouti, Minister of Education; Moncef Boukather, Minister of Higher Education; Kamal Dokish, Minister of Youth and Sports; Rabie al Majidi, Minister of Transport; Nizar Bennaji, Minister of Communication Technologies; Sarah Zafarani Jandari, Minister of Equipment and Housing; Muhammad al Raqeeb, Minister of State Goods; Mohammed Moez bin Hussein, Minister of Tourism; Mohamed Ibrahim El Shaibi, Minister of Religious Affairs; Amal Belhaj, Minister of Women; Hayat Katat Al Garmazi, Minister of Culture; Laila Chikhaoui, Minister of the Environment; Aida Hamdi, Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
CONFIRMATIONS
Bouden Romdhane has retained Sihem Boughdiri Nemsia as Finance Minister and Othman Jerandi for Foreign Affairs, both already appointed by Saied on an interim basis. Taoufik Charfeddine, ally of the President, was placed in the Interior.
WHO IS THE MINISTER OF FINANCE
Sihem Boughdiri, 56, of which 28 spent in the Ministry of Finance. She specializes in tax law . She led the working group on tax reform and distinguished herself in directing the negotiations of the related provisions with national organizations and professional associations.
On an international level, Sihem Boughdiri has taken part in negotiations on double taxation agreements with more than 20 countries.
It also participated in the negotiations on the tax reform program with the IMF, the OECD, the European Union and the Arab Monetary Fund. It was also chosen as a point of reference for the negotiations that removed Tunisia from the blacklist of the Financial Action Task Force (Fatf) .
THE ECONOMIC SITUATION OF TUNISIA
Saied's moves, in addition to questioning the democratic system from Tunisia, also delayed the arrival of a financial bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The country, Reuters points out , is facing a public finance crisis that appears to be escalating rapidly and the IMF has already said it will only negotiate on the basis of credible reforms proposed by the government.
Other international partners intending to provide financial assistance to Tunisia also urged Saied to define a clear roadmap for his next steps and to return to normal constitutional order.
THE NUMBERS
The economic crisis in Tunisia is well summed up by the numbers provided by ISPI : in 2020 it dropped by -8.8%, the unemployment rate is at 18% and the youth rate at 40%. Finally, the public debt / GDP ratio is 90%.
WHAT THE WORLD BANK SAYS
According to the World Bank , Tunisia's economic prospects remain very uncertain. Persistent political instability has prevented the implementation of reforms to open up an economy that remains closed to investment and trade.
FORECASTS FOR THE FUTURE
Bouden Romdhane said the government's top priority would be to tackle corruption, but did not mention any economic reform programs.
Tunisia has numerous debts due in the coming months and the central bank governor, Marouane Abbasi, has already warned that budget financing risks increasing inflation, reducing reserves and causing the value of the local currency to drop.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/nuovo-governo-tunisia/ on Mon, 11 Oct 2021 12:03:46 +0000.