11 Facts About Fouad Mebazaa

Fouad Mebazaa was a Tunisian politician who was the acting president of Tunisia from 15 January 2011 to 13 December 2011.

Fouad Mebazaa was active in Neo Destour prior to Tunisian independence, served as Minister of Youth and Sports, Minister of Public Health, and Minister of Culture and Information, and was Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Tunisia from 1991 to 2011.

Fouad Mebazaa was elected as Secretary-General of the Marsa unit of Neo Destour in 1955 and President of its Montpellier unit in 1956.

Fouad Mebazaa was Governor-Mayor of Tunis from 1969 to 1973, occupied several ministerial posts relating to youth, sports, public health, culture and information during the 1970s and late 1980s, and was an ambassador in Geneva and Morocco during the 1980s.

Fouad Mebazaa was a member of the Central Committee of the Constitutional Democratic Rally from 1988 onwards.

Fouad Mebazaa was elected President of the Chamber of Deputies in 1997 and reelected in 2004.

Fouad Mebazaa was then considered as a cacique of the fallen regime.

Fouad Mebazaa stated that, given his role and his presidential function, he temporarily left the office of the Speaker of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People to his first vice-president Sahbi Karoui on 15 January 2011.

Fouad Mebazaa said that he wanted to ensure that the government respects its commitments in complete disharmony with the past.

Moncef Marzouki replaced him on 12 December 2011; Fouad Mebazaa announced the same day his intention to officially hand over presidential powers during a solemn ceremony.

The next day, Fouad Mebazaa greeted Marzouki one last time at the Presidential Palace, before leaving by car for his personal residence in Tunis.