Islam Times - Tunisia gets interim government

Islam Times - Tunisia's National Constituent Assembly has approved the line-up for the country's interim government proposed by Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali of the Islamic Ennahda party.

On Friday, the assembly approved the new 41-member caretaker cabinet, which will run until the country calls a general election, in a confidence vote, with 154 in favor, 38 opposed, and 11 abstentions.

Ali Larayedh, a former political prisoner and senior Ennahda official, was elected as interior minister and Rafik Ben Abdessalem, son-in-law of Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi, was named foreign minister.

Ennahda party's spokesman, Nourredine Bhiri, was appointed justice minister, while independent candidate Abdelkarim Zbidi was reinstated as defense minister.

In October, Ennahda won 89 seats of the 217-member Constituent Assembly in the first democratic elections after the ouster of the country's former dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January.

The caretaker government is now expected to draw up a new constitution.

The push for government formation comes, while Tunisia is experiencing a critical economic situation, with an unemployment rate of 20 percent.

On Thursday, Jebali said that the new government would mainly concentrate on job creation and payment of reparations to victims of the previous regime's heavy-handed rule.