Parliamentary groups announce candidates to prime minister position

The parliamentary blocs presented their candidates for Prime Minister position to President Kais Saied, as part of consultations conducted to name the personality most likely to form the government, under article 89 of the Constitution.

The name of the future PM will be probably announced on July 25, at the end of the constitutional deadline set for ten days.

In a statement to TAP, spokesperson for the Ennahdha movement (54 seats) Imed Khemiri said that his party had proposed Khayam Turki, former deputy Secretary-General of the Democratic Forum for Work and Freedoms (Ettakatol) and former Minister of Development, Investment and International Cooperation Fadhel Abdelkefi.

These two candidates were also proposed by Qalb Tounes (27 seats), TAP learnt.

President of the Watania bloc (11 seats) Hatem Mliki said Thursday that his bloc had proposed four candidates, namely, Hatem Mliki and Ridha Charfeddine (Watania bloc) as well as Fadhel Abdelkefi and Hakim Ben Hammouda.

The Democratic Current and Echaab movement forming the democratic bloc (38 MPs) have not succeeded to agree on a candidate.

Actually, Democratic Current deputy Ridha Zaghmi pointed out that the party had proposed Mohamed Abbou, the Minister of State to the PM in charge of the Public Service, Governance and Fight against Corruption, Ghazi Chaouachi, the Minister of State Property and Land Affairs, and Education Minister Mohamed el Hamdi.

For its part, the Echaab movement abstained from presenting candidates for the Prime Minister position. The party simply sent a correspondence to the President of the Republic including the criteria that the next PM should meet, party Secretary-General Zouheir Maghzaoui told TAP on Friday.

Maghzaoui pointed out that his political formation does not support any candidate proposed to the Head of State.

MP Walid Jalled from "Tahya Tounes" party stated to the media on Thursday, that his party had proposed the name of Economy and Finance Minister in Mehdi Jomaa's government Hakim Ben Hammouda, Fadhel Abdelkefi, Khayem Turki, Health Minister Sonia Ben Cheikh in Youssef Chahed' government, and current President of the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) Wadii Jeri.

The Reform bloc proposed Justice Minister in Youssef Chahed's government Ghazi Jeribi, Fadhel AbdelKefi, Khayem Turki and Ali Kooli (Senior Banking and Financial Executive), TAP learnt from a Reform bloc source.

Joint au téléphone par l'agence TAP, le président du bloc al-Mostakbal, Issam Bargougui, a souligné que les concertations menées avec la majorité des groupes parlementaires dans le cadre du choix des candidats à la présidence du gouvernement, ont abouti à la décision de soutenir les candidatures de Fadhel Abdelkefi et Khayam Turki

Reached by phone, President of Al-Mostakbal bloc Issam Bargougui told TAP that consultations carried out with the majority of the parliamentary blocs led to the decision to support Fadhel Abdelkefi and Khayam Turki who the subject of a broad consensus in parliamentary circles.

The Free Destourien Party (16 seats) and the al-Karama Coalition (19 seats) have neither of them proposed candidates.

On July 16, the Head of State sent a letter to the Speaker of the House of People's Representatives (HPR) officially informing him of the resignation of PM Elyes Fakhfakh.