Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
Tunisia's New Prime Minister Is The First Woman To Hold The Role In An Arab Country
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Tunisia has a new prime minister - a woman, which is a first for the country and a rarity in the Arab world. Her appointment yesterday is overshadowed by concern that it's just cover for the president who named her. He has assumed new powers that threaten the fragile democracy the country embarked on after overthrowing a dictator 10 years ago. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT KAIS SAIED: (Arabic spoken).
ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: The Tunisian presidency put out this video of President Kais Saied welcoming his newly appointed Prime Minister, Najla Bouden Ramadhane, into his office. She didn't speak but nodded to the cameras as he saluted her nomination, which he said paid tribute to Tunisian women. Tunisian Aida Hamdi, who works as an international consultant in Paris, says women have a prominent place in Tunisian society, so she's not surprised. But she says power is still very masculine.
AIDA HAMDI: Tunisian women are in all the disciplines. They are engineers. They are professors. They are doctors. What is really problematic is they are not in the very high - in the leadership posts.
BEARDSLEY: Hamdi believes the choice of putting a woman at the top is a signal that the usual cronyism and corrupt ways of male politicians won't work in the new government. But she does wonder if Ramadhane, an apolitical engineering professor and known consensus builder, will be able to impose her will with a president some now likened to a wannabe dictator.
Sponsored message
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).
BEARDSLEY: About a thousand demonstrators gathered in Tunis last weekend to protest what they call Saied's power grab. Saied has said he was forced to suspend parliament and dismiss the previous prime minister at the end of July to root out corruption.
HAMADI REDISSI: I think that now, we are in what I have called Roman dictatorship.
BEARDSLEY: A Roman dictatorship, says Tunisian political analyst Hamadi Redissi, because Saied, like a Roman emperor, has invested himself, at least for now, with powers beyond the country's constitution. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
