Najla Bouden Romdhane | Najla Bouden Romdan becomes Tunisia’s Prime Minister; The first woman Prime Minister of the Arab world

Two months after the overthrow of the previous government, Tunisian President Keys Sayed, who seized key executive powers, has appointed Najla Bouden Romdan as the first woman Prime Minister of the country and the Arab world. “For the first time in the history of Tunisia, a woman is leading the government,” Syed said during a meeting with Romdan on Wednesday, according to a video from the president’s office. “It is an honor for Tunisia and for Tunisian women,” he said.

According to Mosaic, a private FM station in Tunisia, the 63-year-old Romdan served as Director-in-Charge of the Ministry of Higher Education until 2011. They were also tasked with implementing projects in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the World Bank. Romdan comes to power at a time when the country’s democratic victories through the 2011 revolution are now in doubt and a major threat to public finances. Yet questions remain about how much power Romdan has.

President Syed ousted the government in July and froze the activities of the moderate Islamist Nhda party-led parliament. Following this, his opponents accused him of being a coup d’etat. Minister Sameer Dilo, a member of the previous government, had strongly criticized the appointment of Romdan as illegal. In response, Syed said last week that he could rule the country legally and control the government in a state of emergency, rejecting a majority of the constitution.

Tunisia is heading for a major economic crisis as years of political unrest and the current corona virus outbreak intensify the country’s economic stagnation. Government bonds are under pressure and their insurance costs have reached record highs. The new government needs to move swiftly to seek financial support for the budget and debt repayment after Syed stopped holding talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in July after taking over the country.

Syed said last week that the president was accountable to the government and could choose or remove cabinet ministers, and that the role of the prime minister would be less than in previous regimes. ‘We will take over the institutions of the country and work to end corruption and anarchy. We have wasted a lot of time, ” Said said after a meeting with the new Prime Minister Romdan on Wednesday.

Anger is mounting in Tunisia over the rising number of Kovid-19 cases and the long-running political inadequacy and economic turmoil. Hundreds of Tunisians took to the streets of the capital last weekend to protest Syed’s seizure of power.