New Tunisian government gets parliamentary approval

Tunisia’s new unity government, led by Prime Minister-designate Youssef Chahed, has won a vote of confidence in the parliament.

According to Press TV, the 217-seat legislature overwhelmingly approved Chahed's cabinet line-up, with 167 votes in favor, 22 against and five abstentions on Friday.

The 27-strong cabinet includes members from all sides of the political spectrum with eight women and 14 young ministers.

Parliament Spokesman Hassen Fathalli said the new government will take office on Saturday while the handover between Chahed and his predecessor, Habib Essid, will happen on Monday.

Chahed was named as the Tunisian premier after Essid was dismissed in a no-confidence vote last month.

Chahed, 41, will become Tunisia’s youngest prime minister since the North African country won independence from France in 1956.

In a speech before the parliamentary vote, Chahed promised that his government will take tough decisions to overcome economic difficulties and create jobs.

"Our situation in 2017, if we don't change anything in our behavior, it will be so much harder … , we will be forced to adopt a policy of austerity. What does this mean? It means that the state would be forced to cut spending on health, healthcare, it would be forced to fire thousands of public sector employees and forced to raise the taxes," he said.

He further noted that fighting corruption and terrorism would be given priority under his administration.

ME