Tunisian president sacks PM with no explanation 

Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked his Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani without explanation on Wednesday, August 7, and replaced him with Social Affairs Minister Kamel Madouri, according to a statement from his office, reports Le Monde.fr.

Hachani took office on August 1 last year, replacing Najla Bouden, who was also dismissed without an official reason by Saied. His replacement Madouri had only taken on the social affairs portfolio in May.

In a social media post from his office, Saied is shown shaking hands with Madouri with a brief statement saying only that the president had "decided to assign him to head the government, succeeding Mr. Ahmed Hachani".

Saied, 66, was democratically elected in 2019 but orchestrated a sweeping power grab in 2021 and is now seeking another term in office in elections on October 6. He submitted his official candidacy for the election on Monday, while some would-be challengers are being barred from running, including through prosecution and imprisonment.

After registering, the incumbent told reporters his candidacy was part of "a war of liberation and self-determination" aiming to "establish a new republic". As part of Saied's consolidation of power, Tunisia's constitution was rewritten in 2022 to create a presidential regime whose parliament has extremely limited powers._Agencies.