In a simple nocturnal statement shared on social networks on the evening of Tuesday, August 1, Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed dismissed the head of government, Najla Bouden, without any form of thanks or explanation. She was immediately replaced by Ahmed Hachani, a former executive of the Central Bank of Tunisia unknown to the general public, who took the oath in the evening.
Najla Bouden was appointed on October 11, 2021, after the coup in favor of which Kaïs Saïed had assumed full powers on July 25. The Head of State then dismissed the head of government at the time, Hichem Mechichi, and suspended Parliament, before beginning the deconstruction of the institutional edifice resulting from the 2011 revolution.
The appointment of a woman to this post, a first in Tunisia and in the Arab world, was warmly welcomed despite the context of autocratic drift in which it took place. His time in government, however, will not have marked the spirits because of an “erased” personality and a “lack of skills in the economic field”, believes political scientist and university professor Hamadi Redissi.
The new institutional balance, dominated by an omnipotent President of the Republic, did not, it is true, help her. “The interference of the Head of State has reduced his room for action”, analyzes Hamadi Redissi. In recent months, his government has thus endeavored to maintain stammering negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the granting of a loan of 1.9 billion euros, even though the Head of State tirelessly repeated his rejection of the “dictates” of the body.
A lawyer with no political experience
On the international scene, Najla Bouden has represented the country at many summits, such as Jeddah, her first official trip, Davos or Paris. She was also involved in the Francophonie summit held on the Tunisian island of Djerba in November 2022, helping to restore Kaïs Saïed’s image.
“The Constitution means that the head of government is no longer the prime minister of a two-headed executive, but becomes a charge d’affaires of the head of state”, continues Hamadi Redissi. Under the previous Constitution of 2014, repealed by Kaïs Saïed, the formation of the government was the responsibility of its leader, before being submitted to the validation of Parliament. From now on, the Prime Minister is content to make “proposals” to the Head of State, who remains responsible for appointing the government.
Nothing suggests that Ahmed Hachani will be able to do better or that he has the necessary skills to face the socio-economic crisis in which Tunisia is plunged. Born on July 11, 1957, he is a jurist with no experience in the political world: he graduated with a master’s degree in law from the University of Tunis and served at the Central Bank of Tunisia until becoming its director of resources. human. He retired in 2018.
His father, Salah Hachani, on the other hand, was involved in politics to the point of losing his life. An army officer, he participated in a 1962 coup attempt against Habib Bourguiba, the father of Tunisian independence. Arrested, he was executed the following year. This family drama seems to have weighed on the political ideals of Ahmed Hachani, whose Facebook page suggests that he is a fervent defender of the beylical monarchy – abolished by Bourguiba in 1957 – and strongly opposed to the Bourguibian heritage.
