Kamel Feki (Arabic: كمال الفقي) is a Tunisian politician who served as the Minister of the Interior from 2023 to 2024.
Kamel Feki | |
|---|---|
كمال الفقي | |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office March 17, 2023 – May 25, 2024 | |
| President | Kais Saied |
| Succeeded by | Khaled Nouri |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sfax |
Early life and education
editFeki was born in Sfax. In 1983, he enrolled at the Faculty of Law and Political Science of Tunis and graduated in private law (specializing in judicial matters) in 1995.[1][2]
Career
editFeki began his career worked as a tax inspector at the Ministry of Finance, and eventually became deputy director and head of the tax inspection office for the Tunis district. In 2011, Feki was elected General Secretary of the Tax Inspectorate Union, a position he held until 2018.[1]
Feki was sworn into office as the Governor of Tunis on December 31, 2021.[3] He held this position until his appointment as Minister of the Interior on March 17, 2023, succeeding the resigned Taoufik Charfeddine.[4][5] He was sworn in the following day.[6]
Feki has been described as one of President Kais Saied's staunchest supporters and is part of the president's close circle.[7][8][9] In March 2023, he refused to authorize a protest permit for the opposition National Salvation Front coalition, asserting that its leaders were engaged in scheming against state security. He openly criticized the opposition on multiple occasions, characterizing them as "unprincipled and insignificant." The Interior Ministry granted the coalition permission to demonstrate.[7]
In June 2023, after the European Commission and President Saied faced criticism over the treatment of sub-Saharan refugees, Feki dismissed images of deceased refugees in the desert as "fake" and denied knowledge of any expulsion policy, labeling it as "fake news."[10]
In May 2024, Feki was dismissed as interior minister by President Saied as part of a cabinet reshuffle.[11]
Personal life
editFeki is married to Sonia Charbti.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "Qui est Kamel Feki, nouveau ministre de l'Intérieur". Leaders (in French). Retrieved 2023-08-09.
- ^ "السيرة الذاتية لوزير الداخلية الجديد كمال الفقي". جريدة الشروق التونسية (in Arabic). 2023-03-17. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
- ^ Semia (2021-12-31). "Le gouverneur de Tunis Kamel Feki prête serment | Tunisie Tribune" (in French). Retrieved 2023-08-09.
- ^ "Tunisian president names Kamal Feki as new interior minister". Reuters. 2023-03-17. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
- ^ "Tunisian president names ally as new interior minister". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
- ^ NY, Yusra (2023-03-18). "Tunisie : Kamel Feki, le nouveau ministre de l'Intérieur prête serment (Photos)". Kapitalis (in French). Retrieved 2023-08-09.
- ^ a b "Tunisian president names one of his staunchest supporters as interior minister". Reuters. 2023-03-18. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
- ^ "Kamel Feki remplace Taoufik Charfeddine au ministère de l'Intérieur tunisien". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). 2023-03-18. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
- ^ "En Tunisie, Kamel Feki remplace l'influent Taoufik Charfeddine au ministère de l'intérieur". Le Monde (in French). 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
- ^ Cordall, Simon Speakman. "Tunisian parliament gets defensive after Black refugee treatment criticism". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
- ^ "Tunisia's President Saied reshuffles cabinet after wave of arrests". France 24. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ Nafti, Hatem (2022-12-16). Tunisie : vers un populisme autoritaire: Voyage au bout de la Saïedie (in French). Riveneuve éditions. p. 170. ISBN 978-2-36013-671-1.