Tunisia's president approved replacing the foreign and defense ministers, the political newcomer's first significant decision since becoming the North African nation's head of state last week.
The shakeup, agreed by President Kais Saied with Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, comes as Tunisia's political parties are striving to agree on a coalition government after no bloc got an overall majority in a recent parliamentary election.
Justice Minister Karim Jamoussi will become acting defense minister, replacing Abdelkarim Zbidi, who competed against Saied in September's first-round presidential vote, the government said on its website. Sabri al-Bachtobji was appointed acting foreign minister, replacing Khamaies Jhinaoui.
READ MORE: Outsider Professor Takes Helm in Troubled Tunisia, Urging Unity
Saied, a former law professor who got more than 70% of ballots in October's run-off vote, became president at a critical time for the country that's a democratic beacon in the Arab world but has struggled to revive the economy since its 2011 uprising. While Tunisia's parliament has the majority of powers, the presidency has a strong say in defense and foreign policy and must approve ministerial changes.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jihen Laghmari in Tunis at jlaghmari@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Michael Gunn, Amy Teibel
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