Vote on New Cabinet by Tunisian Lawmakers Delayed

The office of Tunisian President Kais Saied says prime minister-designate Habib Jemli will hold further consultations on forming a cabinet, delaying what was expected to be a Thursday vote of confidence by parliament. The president’s office gave no reason for the delay. Jemli, viewed as an independent technocrat with Islamist leanings, announced on Wednesday that he had established a cabinet he expected would pass muster among a majority of lawmakers in the country’s fractious parliament, where no party holds more than 25% of the seats. The members of the cabinet were described as independent technocrats but were left unnamed. Tunisia’s most pressing problem right now is its economy and a high public deficit. What’s more, citizens consider the country’s public services to be worse than under dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was forced to resign in 2011 after widespread protests over these services set off what is often referred to as the Arab Spring.