Ministerial reshuffle in Tunisia

Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on Wednesday made a ministerial reshuffle which included reducing number of ministers without portfolio from 54 to 40.

The ministers of foreign affairs, defense and the interior kept their posts in the new government and many ministers were assigned more than one portfolio. The minister of justice Bashir al-Nakkari assumed the portfolio of human rights. The portfolio of trade was added to the tasks of the minister of tourism and traditional industries Munzir al-Zanayedi. Al-Sadeq Shaaban was appointed as a minister of technology, communications and transport in succession to Ahmad Qreia and Hussein Shawk who left the government.

Habib Haddad entered the new government as a head of three ministries of the environment, agriculture and water resources, while Muhammad al-Nouri was appointed as a minister of economic development and international cooperation and Munsir al-Rweisi as a minister of education and al-Chazli al-Arousi as a minister of labor.