Tunisia Politics: Prime minister delegates powers until end of presidential campaign

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Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has delegated his powers to the Minister of Public Service. The acting prime minister will serve until the end of the presidential election campaign on September 13. Chahed faced heavy criticism for remaining in power while running for office.

Prime Minister and presidential candidate Youssef Chahed said he will spare no effort to place himself on an equal footing with his competitors in the race for the presidency and to guarantee the neutrality of the administration.

YOUSSEF CHAHED TUNISIAN PRIME MINISTER "In August 2016, that is 3 years ago, I accepted the responsibility of Prime Minister. I've always been honest and I've never hidden anything to the people. I'm delegating my powers during the election campaign."

Chahed said he was surprised by the calls for his resignation. He added that the new constitution stipulates that the resignation of the head of government implies the resignation of all members of the government.

YOUSSEF CHAHED TUNISIAN PRIME MINISTER "I'm surprised by the position of some politicians who ignore the constitution and who claim that I'm using state apparatuses in my campaign. That's why I'm leaving power to guarantee the transparency and fairness of the presidential elections."

Analysts assert that the Constitution allows the head of government in office to stand for election.

NIZAR MAKNI POLITICAL ANALYST "The Premier could have remained in power. It's legal and constitutional. However, he was under pressure from the opposition and the civil society to run for office as an ordinary party leader and not as a Prime Minister who appeared every day in the media to talk about his achievements. Tunisians were confused between the presidential candidate and the Premier."

The country's Premier defended his government's record. Chahed said he's guaranteed economic stability and provided a favorable security climate nationwide.

ADNEN CHAOUACHI TUNISIA "Youssef Chahed has reassured Tunisians about the management of the country's current affairs in the coming weeks and the mobilization of the administration for the upcoming events, in particular, the beginning of the school year and the return of Tunisian expatriates to their host countries. ADNEN CHAOUACHI, CGTN, TUNIS."