Summary:

On 1 August 2023, President Kais Saied dismissed Prime Minister Najla Bouden and appointed her replacement, Ahmed Hachani, with little fanfare or explanation.

The President’s office did not cite specific reasons for the change. However, Bouden’s most high-profile portfolio in recent months has been managing the country’s wheat and bread shortages, which have continued and worsened. President Saied recently called bread a “red line” and urged Bouden to find solutions.

Some local media outlets speculated that the President dismissed Bouden due to ongoing challenges in maintaining the supply chain that produces the bread consumed daily by many Tunisians.

The newly appointed Prime Minister, Ahmed Hachani, has relatively low-profile career in government service, having served previously as an executive at the Central Bank of Tunisia.

Outlook:  

An unannounced shuffle of senior personnel is not necessarily surprising as conditions worsen in Tunisia. Shortages and rising costs continue and President Saied has likely felt growing pressure to demonstrate progress on key issues, such as the supply of bread.

Replacing Bouden is unlikely to create demonstrable progress in the near-term and may slow down progress on negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or other potential lenders.

Hachani will require time to undertake the portfolio and will be doing so under the watchful eye and often explicit direction of President Saied. Should similar changes in key personnel continue or increase in frequency it could point to growing instability.

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