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Tunisia: Second Round of Talks Launches to Appoint New Prime Minister | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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A police officer keeps watch near a cemetery where the bodies of soldiers and civilians who were killed during Monday’s attack on army and police posts by Islamist fighters will be buried in the town of Ben Guerdan, Tunisia, near the Libyan border March 9, 2016. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi


Tunisia- 191 out of 217 members of the Tunisian parliament participated in the 12-hours session to decide on renewing confidence to government. 118 voted against, three voted in favor, while 27 abstained from voting. The tumbling of the government was a blast.

By virtue of these results, the government is considered a caretaker government which continues to operate until a new prime minister is appointed.

The second round of talks will start Monday to appoint a prime minister of the national unity government which was endorsed by Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi as an attempt to resolve the security, economic and social crises facing the country.

Noureddine Buhairi, head of the Ennahda Movement, stated that “Habib Essid should give way to the president’s initiative on forming a national unity government and getting the country out of its crises”. He added that Ennahda Movement, consisting of 69 deputes, voted against Essid.

Expert in constitutional law Jawhar bin Mubarak said that the majority voting in favor of withdrawing the confidence from Essid government makes it automatically a caretaker government. “Tunisian President is anticipated to begin talks with regards to appointing a new prime minister and determining a governmental formation”, added Mubarak.

He added that, according to the new Tunisian constitution (2014), a new prime minister shall be appointed within a maximum period of ten days then the government shall be formed within 30 days. Hence, deadline does not exceed 10 September.

If prime minister fails to form a government, the president has the right to dissolve the parliament on the following day, 11 September, and to call for early parliamentary elections.