DHAKA: Tunisia’s parliament has passed a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Habib Essid, effectively dismissing the government of the US-trained economist.

A total of 188 MPs voted to sack Essid, with only three supporting him, reports the BBC.

Essid, who has been in office less than two years, has faced criticism for what his opponents say is his failure to push through economic reforms.

President Beji Caid Essebsi last month called for a national unity government to break months of economic turmoil.

Unemployment has worsened since the 2011 revolution, when President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was ousted. More than a third of young people in Tunisia are without work.

Tunisia’s uprising was the first of the Arab Spring, and often hailed as the most successful with the country now functioning as a parliamentary democracy.

BDST: 1449 HRS, JUL 31, 2016
RR