Today, Wednesday, the Tunisian parliament approved the cabinet reshuffle proposed by Prime Minister Hicham El Mechichi, which included 11 ministerial portfolios, including justice and the interior, and gave parliamentarians confidence in the new ministers who were included in the amendment.
Some of the proposed names sparked controversy in political circles, as President Qais Saeed criticized the amendment and hinted at not receiving those with suspicions of corruption around them during the swearing-in ceremony, which portended a crisis between the presidency and the government.
For their part, representatives of the "Ennahda Movement" and "Heart of Tunisia" blocs expressed their support for the amendment, while the "Democratic Bloc" and some independents opposed it.
During the session, the Prime Minister said that going to Parliament came because it is the source of legitimacy, warning of the dangerous conditions in his country, and he said that the path to reform is still a long way.
Al-Meshishi stressed that the difficulties Tunisia is experiencing are of a degree of seriousness, and have become "threatening the survival and existence of the state."
During the plenary session, Mechichi stressed that the priorities of his government will focus on rationalizing the system of support to reach those who deserve it, within the framework of a social policy based on equity and improving the purchasing power of Tunisians.
He said that the government will work to improve the business climate, stimulate private initiatives, remove obstacles to economic growth, and reduce bureaucratic procedures.
The parliamentary debate on the ministerial change stopped in the afternoon before an expected vote in the evening, and some opposition MPs left the parliament building to participate in the protest abroad.
The protests demanded the release of the detainees and economic development (Anatolia)
Continuous protests
This session coincided with tension in the vicinity of the Tunisian parliament, as numbers of demonstrators gathered to protest government policies, and the Tunisian security forces prevented a number of people who were planning to reach the main street in the capital to demonstrate.
A number of civil organizations and parties in Tunisia organized a protest in front of Parliament, calling for the release of detainees and economic development, and protesters raised slogans denouncing the government's policy and the measures it had taken to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier on Tuesday, a march was launched from Al-Tadamon neighborhood (west of the capital) to the parliament headquarters, to demand the release of those arrested during the recent protests, whose number was estimated by human rights organizations at about a thousand, including hundreds of minors.
Reuters reported that riot police fired water cannons at the protesters in the Al-Tadamon neighborhood, and set up barriers in front of the protesters to prevent them from approaching the parliament building.
The security forces imposed a tight security cordon around Parliament, which was witnessing a public session to give confidence to the new government formation proposed by the Prime Minister.