Political Parties: Tunisian PM to Announce Cabinet by End of Week

Tunisian President Kais Saied, right, appoints Interior Minister Hichem Mechichi as the country’s new Prime Minister. (Tunisian Presidency Press Service)
Tunisian President Kais Saied, right, appoints Interior Minister Hichem Mechichi as the country’s new Prime Minister. (Tunisian Presidency Press Service)
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Political Parties: Tunisian PM to Announce Cabinet by End of Week

Tunisian President Kais Saied, right, appoints Interior Minister Hichem Mechichi as the country’s new Prime Minister. (Tunisian Presidency Press Service)
Tunisian President Kais Saied, right, appoints Interior Minister Hichem Mechichi as the country’s new Prime Minister. (Tunisian Presidency Press Service)

Tunisian Prime Minister-designate Hichem Mechichi plans to announce the new cabinet with no more than 25 ministries by the end of this week, according to political parties involved in the government formation.

A number of Tunisian parties, including the Democratic Current which joined the government coalition, called for an early announcement of the cabinet lineup.

They also asked Mechichi to provide the parties with the names of ministers to ensure their independence, integrity, and competence.

Mohammed Ammar, a leader of the Democratic Current, said the PM-designate would announce the final lineup by the end of the week after completing consultations with all sides.

Several parties reject a government of independents as proposed by Mechichi.

The president of the Free Destourian Party, Abir Moussi, also confirmed that Mechichi would announce the lineup this week.

Moussi believes the cabinet will include independent figures and will prioritize economic and financial issues.

Last month, President Kais Saied designated Mechichi to succeed Elyes Fakhfakh, who resigned over allegations of a conflict of interest.

Mechichi, 46, an independent, had a month to form a government capable of winning a confidence vote in the parliament by a simple majority, or the president will dissolve the legislature and call for another election with urgent economic decisions hanging over Tunisia.

Mechichi is seen close to Saied and served as the president’s adviser. He was also a member of the National Commission of Investigation on Corruption founded in 2011 after the country’s revolution that sparked the “Arab Spring” movement.



US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump's administration on Monday revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as Washington moves to remove US sanctions on Syria to help the country rebuild following years of a civil war.

In December, opposition factions led by HTS ousted Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive. Then-HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa became Syria's president and said he wanted to build an inclusive and democratic Syria.

HTS was previously known as al-Nusra Front when it was al-Qaeda's Syria branch. It broke off ties with al-Qaeda in 2016.

In May, Sharaa met with Trump in Riyadh where, in a major policy shift, the Republican president unexpectedly announced he would lift US sanctions on Syria, prompting Washington to significantly ease its measures.

"This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, adding that the revocation will come into effect on Tuesday.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order terminating US sanctions program on Syria, a move that aims to end the country's isolation from the international financial system.

Syria's foreign ministry told Reuters that the lifting of sanctions on HTS was a "positive step toward correcting a course that previously hindered constructive engagement."

The written statement said Syria hoped the move would "contribute to the removal of remaining restrictions that continue to impact Syrian institutions and officials, and open the door to a rational, sovereign-based approach to international cooperation."

The ministry also said that Sharaa was planning to attend the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September. The UN Security Council still has sanctions on both HTS and Sharaa himself, which require a Council decision to remove.