Tunisia's 'poker face' president sworn in
Tunisia's new president, whose stolid demeanor earned him the nickname "RoboCop," has vowed to combat corruption.
Kais Saied, a conservative law professor and political novice, was sworn in as Tunisia’s president today, ushering in what many hope will be a new era of clean governance and accountability.
In a hope-infused inaugural speech before parliament, Saied emphasized people power and vowed to combat endemic corruption that has persisted since Tunisia’s 2011 Jasmine Revolution. “There will be no tolerance in wasting any cent of the people’s money,” he said. “Fighting poverty is a must and responsibility on our shoulders.”
Saied, who won a landslide victory in the Oct. 13 runoff against media magnate Nabil Karoui, warned Islamist extremist groups in the small North African nation that “we will fight the threat of terrorism, and a bullet from a terrorist will trigger bursts of bullets from our side.” This will be music to Western ears. A commonly touted and unproven statistic is that more people from Tunisia joined the Islamic State than from any other country. The United States and the EU view Tunisia as a vital partner in the fight against terrorism. Saied’s conservatism had raised questions in Western capitals on where he stood on the matter.
Saied’s speech, summarized by the online news and research site Barr al-Aman, indicated that the president wants to ease such worries.
