Egypt Welcomes Appointment of New Tunisian PM

 Egypt welcomed the appointment of the new Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

In a statement, the ministry said that the step comes in terms of Tunisia's launch towards a better future under the wise national leadership of Tunisian President Kais Saied.4

In this context, he reiterated Egypt's support for the Tunisian president's vision, which aims to achieve stability and security, meet the will of the brotherly Tunisian people, and preserve their capabilities.

Egypt also welcomed the country's first woman president, saying that the country will continue to support Tunisia.

Tunisia's president on Wednesday named geologist Najla Bouden as the country's first-ever female prime minister-designate, two months after he seized wide-ranging powers.

Bouden will be Tunisia's tenth prime minister since a 2011 uprising overthrew longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, sparking the Arab Spring revolts.

The country has won international plaudits for its democratic transition but many Tunisians have seen little improvement in their lives and have become disillusioned with a dysfunctional and corrupt political process.

Bouden, the same age as Saied at 63, is a former director at PromESsE, a higher education reform project, and has held senior positions at Tunisia's higher education ministry.

Originally from Kairouan, she is a French-educated geologist with a doctorate in geological engineering and is a lecturer at Tunisia's national engineering school.