Summary:

On 28 April 2026, President Kais Saied dismissed Energy and Industry Minister Fatma Thabet Chiboub in a brief presidency statement offering no explanation for the decision. Housing and Infrastructure Minister Salah Eddine Zouari was appointed to temporarily oversee the Ministry.

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The dismissal came on the same day that Parliament was reviewing five controversial draft laws governing the granting of concessions to foreign companies in the renewable energy sector. Under the proposed legislation, foreign firms would be permitted to operate electricity production for 20 years with a possible 10-year extension, with a five-year tax exemption, selling output to state utility STEG. The Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail (UGTT) denounced the bills, arguing they “perpetuate dependence and weaken national sovereignty,” while MP Bilel El Mechri, who had characterized the measures as “energy colonization,” welcomed the minister’s dismissal and called for her prosecution.

The dismissal followed a cabinet meeting at Carthage Palace at which Saied made statements asserting the state’s determination to eradicate what he called “pockets of reaction, subservience, and corruption,” and criticized appointments made outside legal frameworks.

Outlook: 

The abrupt dismissal, timed to coincide with the parliamentary vote, signals that domestic political pressure over energy sovereignty has reached a level that the administration judged as requiring a visible response. Whether it reflects a genuine policy shift or a tactical move to manage parliamentary and union opposition ahead of the vote remains unclear.

The episode highlights a structural tension in Tunisia’s energy strategy. The country needs substantial foreign investment to meet its 35% renewables target by 2030, yet the sovereign concerns animating opposition to the draft laws reflect a broader pattern of economic nationalism that is increasingly shaping the administration’s governing approach. These concerns center on foreign control over a strategic sector and the exclusion of STEG from contracts. The legislative outcome of the parliamentary review will be the more significant indicator of where Tunisia’s renewable energy policy is actually heading.

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