Tunisian President Replaces Prime Minister Amid Crisis

Tunisian President Kais Saied has dismissed Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani, appointing Social Affairs Minister Kamel Maddouri as his replacement. The decision follows growing discontent over recurring water and electricity outages, which Saied attributes to a conspiracy. Saied announced his candidacy for upcoming presidential elections despite criticism.

Tunisian President Kais Saied has dismissed Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani, naming Social Affairs Minister Kamel Maddouri as his replacement, as per a statement from the Tunisian presidency late Wednesday.

Hachani was appointed as Tunisia's prime minister in August last year. Just hours before his dismissal, he stated in a video message that the government had made progress on multiple fronts despite global challenges, including securing the nation's food and energy needs. The dismissal comes amid widespread discontent with continuous water and electricity outages in many parts of the country. While the government claims that Tunisia is suffering from an ongoing drought, President Saied suggests that the water cuts are a conspiracy orchestrated ahead of the presidential election, asserting that dams are, in fact, full.

Contradicting Saied, the agriculture ministry has noted that dam levels have reached a critically low 25 percent. Saied announced his candidacy for the presidential elections in October, despite facing harsh criticism from the opposition, human rights groups, and election candidates, who accuse him of restricting and intimidating competitors to secure a second term.

(With inputs from agencies.)