Tunisia's PM Announces Formation of an 'Independent' Government

Tunisia’s Prime Minister-designate Habib Jemli announced Monday at a press conference in the capital Tunis that he will form a government made up of technocrats and independents who do not represent any traditional political parties.

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"I decided to form a national government made up of independents who do not belong to any political party because the country and its people are waiting," the head of government said, adding he believes that such a government will be “independent, honest and transparent.”

Negotiations to build a ruling coalition capable of winning a vote of confidence have proved difficult as the October parliamentary election produced a fractured parliament in which no party held more than a quarter of seats.

Jemli, who was appointed as prime minister last month by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party which obtained most seats in the election, asked President Kais Saied last week for more time to form a ruling coalition.

The PM told Reuters last month he was a week away from announcing a government, however, he failed to do so because several of the main political parties have either refused to join the government or imposed conditions impossible to meet saying they would not join if one or other major party was also involved, or if they did not secure several of the most important portfolios.

Tunisia, which is in the process of a democratic transition since its 2011 revolution that marked the beginning of the “Arab Spring” uprisings, has been through huge economic difficulties over the past years, threatening at times to thwart its political transition.

Unemployment, 15 percent nationally and 30 percent in some cities, is higher than it was under the former autocrat, Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, who died earlier this year in exile in Saudi Arabia.

Inflation hit a record 7.8 percent last year and is still high at 6.8 percent. Frequent public sector strikes disrupt services. Financial inequality meanwhile divides Tunisians and the poverty of many areas has become an important political theme.

Difficult and crucial tasks await the next government which must work on economic reforms to bring its deficits and debt under control, as foreign lenders demand while raising at the same growth and delivering better public services.