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July 30, 2016: Habib Essid arrives accompanied by Mohamed Ennaceur. After eighteen months as head of the Tunisian government, Habib Essid, a 67-year-old technocrat, is no longer prime minister. The Assembly of the Representatives of the People (ARP), meeting on Saturday, July 30, in Tunis, refused by a vote of 118 out of 148 (3 in favor and 27 abstentions), to renew its confidence in Mr. Essid, who had sought it without harboring any illusions about the outcome of the vote. Most of the lawmakers affiliated with the four parties (Nidaa Tounès, Ennahda, Afek Tounès, and the Free Patriotic Union) that make up the governing coalition led by Mr. Essid voted against reappointing the prime minister. Essid’s departure brings to an end the conflict that has pitted him against 89-year-old President Béji Caïd Essebsi for the past two months. On June 2, the head of state had weakened Mr. Essid’s position by proposing the idea of a “national unity” government, an initiative he justified as necessary to launch a more proactive phase of government action. This comes as Tunisia faces a very difficult economic and social situation.

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