Tunisian Labor Union Urges New PM Appointment

A general view of the headquarters of the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) in Tunis, Tunisia, November 24,2018. (Reuters)
A general view of the headquarters of the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) in Tunis, Tunisia, November 24,2018. (Reuters)
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Tunisian Labor Union Urges New PM Appointment

A general view of the headquarters of the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) in Tunis, Tunisia, November 24,2018. (Reuters)
A general view of the headquarters of the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) in Tunis, Tunisia, November 24,2018. (Reuters)

Tunisia’s powerful labor union on Tuesday urged the president to rapidly announce a new government some nine days after he seized executive control in a move his opponents called a coup.

President Kais Saied has defended his actions as constitutional and said he will govern alongside a new prime minister during an emergency period, but nine days after his intervention, he has yet to name one.

“We can’t wait 30 days for the announcement of a government,” said Sami Tahri, a spokesman for the UGTT union, one of Tunisia’s most powerful political forces.

“We must speed up the formation of the government to be able to face economic and health challenges,” he said.

Saied’s sudden intervention on July 25 appeared to have widespread public support but prompted fears for the future of the democratic system that Tunisia adopted after its 2011 revolution.

He is also still to announce a roadmap to end an emergency period that he initially set at one month but later announced could be two months.

A source close to the presidential palace in Carthage said Saied may announce the new prime minister on Tuesday. Sources have told Reuters that Central Bank Governor Marouane Abassi and two former finance ministers, Hakim Hammouda and Nizar Yaich, are contenders.

Saied’s opponent, the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, has meanwhile been riven by internal splits over its response to the crisis and its longer-term strategy and leadership.

Tunisians had over the past decade grown ever more frustrated by economic stagnation, corruption and bickering among a political class that often seemed more focused on its own narrow interests than on national problems.

The coronavirus pandemic ripped through Tunisia over the past two months as the state vaccination effort crawled, leading at one point to the worst infection and death rates in Africa.

Pandemic counter measures last year hammered the economy.

On Monday Saied replaced the finance, agriculture and telecoms ministers after having said last week that “wrong economic choices” had cost the country. On Sunday he said there were contacts with “friendly countries” for financial assistance.



CENTCOM Nominee: US Needs Troops in Syria to Stop ISIS Comeback

US Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper 
US Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper 
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CENTCOM Nominee: US Needs Troops in Syria to Stop ISIS Comeback

US Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper 
US Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper 

ISIS remains a threat in Syria and a US military presence is still needed there to deal with it, US Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said in his confirmation hearing to become the next head of US Central Command.

The Pentagon has already decided to significantly reduce the number of troops in the country from 2,000 to fewer than 1,000.

But Cooper told the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 24 there is a continued need for at least some presence. And he argued that the complex situation in Syria needs to be weighed before making additional troop cuts.

“Presence is indispensable in the execution of the counter-ISIS mission today,” said Cooper, who currently serves as the deputy commander of CENTCOM, which oversees US forces in the Middle East.

“We have led it. We lead it today, and I anticipate we’ll lead it into the future. Every decision made on force posture is going to be conditions-based as I look to the future,” he added.

When asked by Senator Joni Ernst about the church bombing in Syria few days ago, Cooper said, “We are focused on this problem set every single day. ISIS remains a threat, and as we look to the future, and if confirmed, I will remain nose down on this threat. It is an absolute priority.”

Cooper said the US was right to back Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa and that he was a vital partner in the campaign against ISIS.

“ISIS thrives in chaos,” Cooper said. “If the government of Syria, now seven months into their existence, can help suppress that ISIS threat, along with the US forces in the region, that stability helps create our own security.”

He added, “I think, given the dynamic nature of what’s happening today, that assessment [of required US troops in Syria] in the future could look different than it does today, perhaps.”

Cooper said the US played—and continues to play—a central role in the anti-ISIS campaign.

“The United States has led this mission from the outset. We still lead it today, and I expect that leadership to continue as we move forward, guided by operational realities,” he affirmed.