“This is the first time in the history of Tunisia that a woman has headed the government,” said a video from the presidential office during a meeting with Romadhan on Wednesday. “It’s an honor for Tunisia and Tunisian women.”
According to Tunisia’s privately owned Mosaique FM, 63-year-old Romdhan served in the Ministry of Higher Education in 2011.
Romdhan will take office in a time of crisis, doubting democratic gains in the 2011 revolution and a major threat to public finances, although there are questions about how much power he will have.
In July, Syed ousted the government and halted parliament activities led by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, a move his enemies dubbed a coup. Last week he overruled most of the constitution, saying he could rule by decree and self-regulate the government during the emergency period without a definite endpoint.
Tunisia is facing an increasingly imminent crisis in public finances after years of economic stagnation, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and political infighting. Government bonds are under pressure and the cost of insurance against their default has reached record highs.
After Saeed came to power in July, the new government would have to move very quickly to seek financial support for budgets and debt repayment, which stalled talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
However, following Saeed’s announcement last week that the government would be responsible to the president and that he could select or sack cabinet ministers, the prime minister’s role would be less important than in previous administrations.
Tunisia has faced a spike in Covid-19 cases and mounting anger over chronic political dysfunction and economic malaise. Hundreds of Tunisians took to the streets of the capital last weekend to protest Sayed’s power grab.
“We will work to end the corruption and anarchy prevailing in the institutions of the country… We have wasted a lot of time,” Saeed said during his meeting with Romdhan on Wednesday.
With additional reporting from Reuters.