Tunisia's Prime Minister Youssef Chahed attends a news conference in Tunis. (File photo: Reuters)
Tunisia Prime Minister Youssef Chahed named 10 new ministers on Monday in a cabinet reshuffle he hopes will inject fresh blood into his government which has been widely criticized for failing to fix an economic crisis.
Chahed named Jewish businessman Rene Trabelsi as minister of tourism in the Muslim Arab country.
Chahed is also expected to make changes to at least six portfolios, including Tourism, Energy, Health and Transport, one of the sources said, while the Ministries of Interior, Defense, Foreign Affairs and Finance will not be affected.
“Chahed had finished negotiations with political parties over partial reshuffle and will announce it likely this week”, another source told Reuters.
A government official who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed a reshuffle was coming.
Since an uprising toppled the autocrat President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, nine cabinets have failed to resolve Tunisia’s economic problems and impatience is rising among foreign lenders such as the International Monetary Fund which have kept the country afloat.
The powerful union UGTT accuses Chahed of mismanaging the economy and has called for him to be to step down.
The moderate Islamist party Ennahda, which holds the majority in parliament, has said the exit of the prime minister would hit stability at a time when the country needs economic reforms.
