Tunisia leader fires ambassador to US in rash of dismissals

The Tunisian president has appointed a new economy minister and is keeping up a rash of dismissals, including the ambassador to the United States on Tuesday

TUNIS, Tunisia -- A day after naming a new economy minister, President Kais Saied on Tuesday added Tunisia's ambassador to the United States to a rash of dismissals, but he has yet to say who will replace the prime minister he fired less than two weeks ago or when. Saied, who took on executive powers July 25 and began ruling by decree, has also undertaken globe-spanning consultations, meeting Tuesday with the foreign minister of Egypt, a critical ally in the Middle East. Local polls say there is large support for Saied’s controversial actions, which importantly included freezing Tunisia's parliament, The North African country has been cementing its democracy since chasing out its former autocratic ruler a decade ago, triggering the Arab Spring. Tunisia is the only success story to emerge from those chaotic times, and allies, from the United States to Europe and the Middle East, have worried about what comes next.