Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed his education and agriculture ministers in a cabinet reshuffle on Monday, a move which could be read as a fresh provocation of the country's powerful unions.
Mr Saied appointed a former Tunisian labour union UGTT executive bureau member, Mohamed Ali Boughdiri, to succeed Fathi Selaouti as Education Minister and a national Tunisian military brigadier general, Abdelmonem Balati, as Minister of Agriculture, succeeding Mahmoud Ilyes Hamza.
The new Education Minister, Mr Boughdiri, born in 1975, is a former leader of the powerful Tunisian labour union UGTT, who previously held the position of assistant secretary general in charge of the private sector.
The new Minister of Agriculture, Brig Gen Belati, was born in 1960, and has been a brigadier general since 2017.
A graduate of the Tunisian High Military School, Brig Gen Belati specialises in fighter aircraft and has previously served as acting Air Force Units commander in military bases throughout Tunisia for several years.
He also served as naval and air military force attache at the Tunisian Embassy in Madrid between 2015 and 2017.
The partial government reshuffle comes only three weeks after the dismissal of the commerce minister, Fadhila Rabhi, in early January.
Meanwhile, reactions to the sudden changes to both ministries of education and agriculture varied, with many wondering about the motivation behind Mr Saied's reshuffle.
Some speculated that he had adopted a “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” approach.
The incoming Education Minister is a known nemesis of current UGTT secretary general Noureddine Taboubi, due to his opposition to Mr Taboubi running for another mandate at the head of the powerful labour union
“He [Mr Taboubi] has the same mentality as former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who amended constitution to stretch his time in power,” said Mr Boughdiri during an interview on private Tunisian radio station IFM in February 2020.
His arrival at the Ministry of Education could also mean a way out of the current crisis between the UGTT’s secondary education federation and the ministry, due to his publicly known closeness and friendship with the federation’s current president, Lasaad Yaakoubi.
Teachers in Tunisia have been refusing to unveil pupils’ exams marks, in an attempt to pressure the Ministry of Education to sit down with them and give concessions on a list of demands.
Mr Yaakoubi, however, said on his personal Facebook account on Monday night that “names change, but demands and entitlements remain,” in response to Mr Boughdiri's appointment.
“The distance between the successor and the predecessor will be measured by the extent to which these entitlements and demands are achieved,” he added.
Meanwhile, the decision to appoint a member of the Tunisian military at the head of the Ministry of Agriculture, instead of someone with prior expertise in the field, has raised questions.
Mr Saied is yet to provide a statement regarding the government reshuffle, but many observers expect more changes to take place.
Tunisia continues to struggle with its worst economic crisis to date, contributing to widening criticism and dissatisfaction from Tunisians towards the performance of the government.
The Tunisian President announced the formation of his current government in October 2021, 11 weeks after his dismissal of Hichem Mechichi administration in July of the same year.
The current government is the thirteenth that Tunisia has had since its revolution in 2011.
MWTC
Tickets start from Dh100 for adults and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Three-day and travel packages are also available at 20 per cent discount.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Rally schedule:
Saturday: Super Special Spectator Stage – Yas Marina Circuit – start 3.30pm.
Sunday: Yas Marina Circuit Stage 1 (276.01km)
Monday: Nissan Stage 2 (287.92km)
Tuesday: Al Ain Water Stage 3 (281.38km)
Wednesday: ADNOC Stage 4 (244.49km)
Thursday: Abu Dhabi Aviation Stage 5 (218.57km) Finish: Yas Marina Circuit – 4.30pm.
The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
