On September 29, Tunisian president Kais Saied appointed Najla Bouden Romdhan as a Prime Minister. Bouden, aged 63, is a geologist and a professor at the National Engineering School of Tunisia. Currently, she is overseeing the implementation of World Bank programs at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
Political significance
Saied's decision to choose Bouden is of paramount significance for various reasons as follows:
1. This is the third cabinet under Saied:
Since Kais Saied was elected in September 2019, three successive prime ministers have been designated for Tunisia. It all started with the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Habib al-Jamali who was nominated to be a prime minister by Saied, yet he was rejected by the parliament. As a result, Saied chose Elyes Fakhfakh in February 2020. However, Fakhfakh had to resign in July 2020, only five months after his designation, on account of his involvement in financial and administrative corruption. Saied then chose interior minister Hichem Mechichi to form a technocratic government last September. As Mechichi's government had to be dismissed, he was succeeded by Najla Bouden, to be the third prime minister during Saied's tenure.
2. The situation is the first of its kind:
This is the first time a woman is chosen to be the Prime Minister in Tunisia, and in the Arab world in general. President Saied said that his intention was to honor Tunisian women by making such a decision.
3. Saied is attempting to contain the pressures:
It is noticeable that Saied's decision to choose Bouden was made in response to the local andinternational pressures, which have become stronger lately, especially after Saied decided to extend the exceptional measures on September 23. Saied has been accused of tightening his grip on the legislative and executive powers and ruling despotically. He replied by stressing that he intends to name a new prime minister soon. Thus, appointing Bouden would serve to relief the pressures. It would also put an end to the claims that Saied does not have a clear vision about how Tunisia's current crisis can be resolved.
Why was Bouden chosen?
The answer to this frequently-asked question can be summed up as follows:
1. Bouden is an independent technocrat:
Saied primarily chose Bouden because she is a technocrat with experience in administrative governance. Bouden has held many posts in several state institutions. Besides, she is politically unaffiliated, which serves Saied's immediate purposes, as the last thing Tunisia needs at the moment is a partisan government; in order for Tunisia to find a way out of its crisis, the upcoming government should transcend limited partisan affiliations and interests and work for the good of the country as a whole.
2. The choice of Bouden is in line with Saied's convictions:
In the past two months, Saied hinted, more than once, that he was considering choosing a woman as a prime minister. This possibility became all the stronger during Saied's last visit to Sidi Bouzid on September 15.
In addition, Saied is keen on showing how opposed he is to the conservative ideas of Ennahda Movement and Dignity Coalition, which believe that women must not hold top positions, let alone being designated prime ministers. Perhaps Saied aims at gaining the support of western countries by projecting an image of himself as a president that is keen on enabling and empowering women.
3. Saied is after a government that enjoys both integrity and efficiency:
Saied desires to depend on Bouden in choosing an efficient government whose members would not only enjoy integrity, but would also identify with Saied's visions and ideas so that no problems or conflicts should arise while reshaping the political scene in Tunisia.
Pressing Challenges:
The new government is expected to face several challenges in all areas, the most important of which are the following:
1. The deterioration of the economic situation:
The worsening economic crisis in Tunisia will be a top priority of the Bouden government. One of the most serious manifestations of this crisis is that Tunisian national debt jumped from 30 billion dollars by the end of 2020 to 35 billion dollars in 2021 (about 85% of GDP). Unemployment rate increased to 17.8% in the first quarter of 2021, from 17.4% in the third quarter of 2020.
Besides, Tunisian economy shrank by 8.8% during 2020. Bouden will also be responsible for improving her country's negotiating position so that Tunisia can get new loans from IMF to boost national economy. She will also be entrusted with the task of negotiating for rescheduling external debt. In the light of the deteriorating economic situation, Bouden will have to resort to austerity measures to solve economic problems and attract more foreign investments in the future.
2. The Covid-19 pandemic:
The Bouden government will have to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, so as to be able to contain its effects on economy and social life. In Tunisia, cases are increasing in number, despite protective measures and vaccination campaigns. This means that Bouden will have to choose a health minister as soon as possible, especially as the situation in Tunisia has been described as dangerous.
3. The need to combat corruption:
The new government is expected to regard combatting corruption as a top priority, especially as president Saied is particularly interested in this matter. It is known that since the exceptional measures were declared, Saied reaffirmed his commitment to combat all forms of corruption. He is even personally overseeing anti-corruption investigations. Saied is also seeking to restore public funds appropriated by businessmen who fled Tunisia by striking settlement agreements with them. In addition, Saied visits vendors in markets to make sure that prices are reasonable and that services are available to all citizens. However, combatting corruption is still one of the most challenging issues that the new government will have to face.
4. The formation of the new government:
Bouden will have to choose cabinet members who are efficient enough to face the aforementioned challenges, notably the economic and social ones (She will also have to appoint new governors for the 24 governorates of Tunisia). The new PM has to work against the clock as president Saied instructed that the government must be formed as soon as possible. It is expected that Saied will have a say in choosing the new cabinet members, so as to guarantee that his policies, especially anti-corruption ones, be carried out effectively.
In conclusion, the fact that Bouden has to form a cabinet as quickly as possible means that her top priorities should be solving the pressing problems of Tunisia that have to do with economy, social life and health, and simultaneously carry out the political reforms that president Saied is seeking, notably changing the political system in Tunisia. It is expected that the cabinet will be formed in a relatively short time, and that announcing a schedule for the transition period will shortly follow.
