Tunisian President Kais Saied reshuffled his cabinet late Saturday, replacing the interior and social affairs ministers, a move that came after a series of arrests of activists, lawyers and journalists and protests against the government.
Ariana Governor Khaled Nouri was appointed the new interior minister, replacing Kamel Feki. Kamel Al-Madouri, former chief executive officer of the National Health Insurance Fund, became social affairs minister, replacing Malek Ezzahi.
In addition, a new position of Secretary of State for National Security was created, to oversee national security under the Minister of the Interior, and Sofiane Ben Sadok was appointed to the position. The new government members were sworn in before President Saied in the presence of Prime Minister Ahmed Khachani.
The announcement did not give reasons for the firings, but the changes come after a series of arrests that have drawn condemnation from the European Union, the United States and France, which have expressed concern about a crackdown on dissent, which Saied called “unacceptable foreign interference.”
A day before the cabinet reshuffle, hundreds of Tunisians protested in the capital against recent arrests made under presidential decrees that critics say are being used to stifle dissent.
