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.



Lebanese Judge Questions Former Top Security Chiefs over Beirut Port Blast

FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2020 file photo, a drone picture shows the destruction after an explosion at the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2020 file photo, a drone picture shows the destruction after an explosion at the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
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Lebanese Judge Questions Former Top Security Chiefs over Beirut Port Blast

FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2020 file photo, a drone picture shows the destruction after an explosion at the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2020 file photo, a drone picture shows the destruction after an explosion at the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

The Lebanese judge investigating the massive 2020 Beirut port explosion questioned two former security chiefs on Friday, including a former head of the General Security Directorate who appeared in court for the first time since being summoned nearly four years ago, according to four judicial and two security officials.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. The hearings mark a rare breakthrough in the long-stalled probe, The Associated Press said.
Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim and former head of State Security Maj. Gen. Tony Saliba, are among several officials charged in connection with the blast that killed over 220 people. The specific charges have not been disclosed.​
Ibrahim appeared in court for the first time, where Judge Tarek Bitar questioned him about the operations of the General Security Directorate during his tenure and requested related documents, which Ibrahim’s lawyer is expected to submit next week.
Ibrahim, who headed the General Security Directorate between 2011 and 2023, is known for wide connections with local, regional and international figures, including the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group, the Syrian government and Western nations, making him a key political mediator.
Ibrahim’s attorneys said in a statement that the former General Security chief appeared in court despite having previously filed a legal challenge against Judge Bitar and despite claiming that he was immune from prosecution.
His attorneys said he appeared as a “mark of respect for the families of the martyrs and victims, his belief in justice and truth, and his commitment to upholding legal procedures and the course of justice.”
Saliba, appearing in court for the fourth time, cooperated with the hearing, providing documentation pertaining to his role at State Security. After the hearing, Saliba described the proceedings as “positive" in a statement.
On Aug. 4, 2020, hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a Beirut Port warehouse, killing at least 218 people, injuring more than 6,000 and devastating large swaths of the capital. The blast, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, caused billions of dollars in damage and sent shockwaves through the nation’s capital.
Following years of political obstruction, Bitar resumed the stalled investigation in mid-January, questioning port and customs employees, retired military officials, the former head of port security, the former army intelligence director, and 12 witnesses.
This development coincides with significant political changes in Lebanon, including the election of Joseph Aoun as president and the appointment of Nawaf Salam as prime minister. Both are perceived as outside the traditional political establishment, which includes many figures charged in the port explosion case.​
Several officials implicated in the investigation have accused Bitar of bias, refused to testify, and filed legal complaints against him.
Next week, Bitar is expected to question top former political leaders. Former Prime Minister Hassan Diab, who was in office at the time of the port explosion and is among those charged by Bitar, is scheduled to appear in court in May. His hearing will be followed by the questioning of four judges.
Meanwhile, a French delegation is expected to submit their findings from their investigation into the explosion later in April. France initiated its own probe into the explosion in 2020 after three French nationals were killed in the blast. However, French judges have faced obstacles accessing documents from the Lebanese investigation, which has been hindered by political interference.