Tunisian President Kais Saied has appointed Najla Bouden Romdhan as the first female prime minister in Tunisia and the Arab world, two months after he sacked the previous government and seized wide-ranging executive powers.
"This is the first time in the history of Tunisia that a woman has led a government," Saied said as he met with Romdhan on Wednesday, according to a video from the president's office. "It is an honor to Tunisia and Tunisian women."
Romdhane, 63, was assigned on Wednesday to form a new government amid growing domestic and international discontent about the president’s power seizure.
Tunisia has had no prime minister and has been in limbo since Saied froze the parliament and seized executive powers on July 25.
The move notably sidelined the Islamist party that dominated parliament, and critics denounced it as a coup that threatens Tunisia's young democracy. Saied said it was necessary to save the country from economic and social crisis.
The country has won international plaudits for its democratic transition but many Tunisians have seen little improvement in their lives and have become disillusioned with a dysfunctional and corrupt political process.
Mr. Saied's moves placed vast executive powers in the hands of the president, who will himself head the cabinet.
His rulings on September 22 also extended the suspension of parliament.
Saied said he will work with Romdhane “with a firm will and determination to combat corruption and chaos that pervaded in many state institutions”.
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Before she was appointed prime minister, she was assigned by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to implement programmes with the World Bank, according to the official Tunisian News Agency.
In 2011, she was appointed director-general in charge of quality at the Ministry of Higher Education.