The President Of Tunisia Removes The Prime Minister And Appoints A New Leader

Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani was fired by Tunisian President Kais Saied on Wednesday, just one year into his position.

The presidency announced in a statement that Said has designated Kamel Maddouri, the Minister of Social Affairs, to assume the position.

Just hours before he was removed, Hachani had stated via a video message that the administration had made success in a number of areas, despite difficulties brought on by high food and energy costs.

The firing takes place in the midst of a national outcry about continuous power and water outages.

Water rationing has resulted from a persistent drought, which the administration blames for these problems.

While Saied believes the water constraints are part of a plot to influence the presidential election, the agriculture ministry states that the dam level is critically low at 25%. He also claims that the dams are actually operating at full capacity.

When Saied announced his intention to run for president in October, he was met with strong criticism from the opposition, human rights groups, and other contenders who claimed he was bullying and repressing his opponents in order to win a second term.