Tunisian President Sacks Prime Minister, Names Sara Zaafarani as Replacement 

People shop in the old city market during the Muslims' holy month of Ramadan in Tunis, Tunisia, 18 March 2025. (EPA)
People shop in the old city market during the Muslims' holy month of Ramadan in Tunis, Tunisia, 18 March 2025. (EPA)
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Tunisian President Sacks Prime Minister, Names Sara Zaafarani as Replacement 

People shop in the old city market during the Muslims' holy month of Ramadan in Tunis, Tunisia, 18 March 2025. (EPA)
People shop in the old city market during the Muslims' holy month of Ramadan in Tunis, Tunisia, 18 March 2025. (EPA)

Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked Prime Minister Kamel Maddouri less than a year after his appointment, and named Sara Zaafarani as his replacement.

Zaafarani, who is an engineer and served as minister of Equipment and Housing since 2021, is the third prime minister in less than two years.

In recent months, Saied has sharply criticized the performance of ministers, saying many they have not met the required standards and that the expectations of the Tunisian people are high. Last month he sacked Finance Minister Sihem Boughdiri.

Economic growth has not exceeded 1.4% in the past year, and the North African country's public finances face a severe crisis that has led to shortages of key commodities including sugar, rice and coffee.

"We will continue the liberation battle until justice prevails for all citizens ... We will continue to thwart all conspiracies", Saied said in a speech at a National Security Council meeting on Friday.



Palestinian President Abbas Appoints New Deputy in Major Step in Naming Successor

Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)
Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)
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Palestinian President Abbas Appoints New Deputy in Major Step in Naming Successor

Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)
Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday named a veteran aide and confidant as his new vice president. It’s a major step by the aging leader to designate a successor.

The appointment of Hussein al-Sheikh as vice president of the Palestine Liberation Organization does not guarantee he will be the next Palestinian president. But it makes him the front-runner among longtime politicians in the dominant Fatah party who hope to succeed the 89-year-old Abbas.

Abbas hopes to play a major role in postwar Gaza. He has been under pressure from Western and Arab allies to rehabilitate the Palestinian Authority, which has limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.  

The PLO is the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people and oversees the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. Abbas has led both entities for two decades.