From People in Power

President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali fled the country amid riots on 14 January 2011; Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi initially took over as interim leader, but the following day the Constitutional Council ruled that the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies should hold the interim presidency and that presidential elections should be held within 60 days.

On 17 January Ghannouchi announced a government of national unity, which retained several members of the Ben Ali government but also included three opposition leaders from the MR, the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) and the Democratic Forum for Freedom and Labour (FDTL).

Head of State
SE M Fouad MEBAZAA * — Interim President

Interim Cabinet
SE M Mohammed GHANNOUCHI — Prime Minister
M Ahmed FRIAA — Minister of the Interior
M Slaheddine MALOUCHE * — Minister of Transport and Equipment
M Mustapha BEN JAAFAR (FDTL) * — Minister of Public Health
M Larbi MIZOURI * — Minister of Religious Affairs
M Ahmed IBRAHIM (MR) * — Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
M Kamel MORJANE — Minister of Foreign Affairs
M Ridha GRIRA — Minister of National Defence
M Mohamed Nouri JOUINI — Minister of Planning and International Co-operation
M Lazhar Karoui CHEBBI * — Minister of Justice
M Mohamed Afif CHELBI — Minister of Industry and Technology
M Tayeb BACCOUCHE * — Minister of Education
M Mohamed JEGHAM * — Minister of Commerce and Tourism
Mme Moufida TLATLI (f) * — Minister of Culture
M Ahmed Najib CHEBBI (PDP) * — Minister of Regional and Local Development
M Muhammad ALOULOU * — Minister of Youth and Sports
M Habib MBAREK * — Minister of Agriculture and the Environment
M Moncer ROUISSI * — Minister of Social Affairs
M Mohamed Ridha CHALGHOUM — Minister of Finance
Mme Lilia LABIDI (f) * — Minister of Women’s Affairs
M Houssine DIMASSI * — Minister of Employment and Vocational Training
M Zuhair M’DHAFFAR — Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister, responsible for Administrative Development
M Abdeljelil BEDOUI * — Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister
M Abdelhakim BOURAOUI — Secretary-General of the Government

* = new or changed portfolio

For more government listings go to People in Power