The dismissal comes ahead of Tunisia's October 6 presidential election and amid an ongoing crackdown on critics.
Tunisian President Kais Saied has dismissed Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani and replaced him with the Minister of Social Affairs.
The statement from the president's office issued late on Wednesday did not specify why Hachani was removed.
Hachani had taken up the post on August 1 last year, replacing Najla Bouden, who was also dismissed without official reason by Saied.
Hours before he was fired, Hachani said in a video message that the government had made progress on a range of issues despite global challenges, including meeting the country's food and energy needs.
His successor, Kamel Madouri, only took over the social affairs portfolio in May.
In a social media post from his office, Saied is shown shaking Madouri's hand with a brief statement saying only that the president had “decided to assign him to lead the government, succeeding Mr. Ahmed Hachani.”
The dismissal comes ahead of Tunisia's October 6 presidential election, in which Saied is seeking a new term, and amid widespread discontent over continued water and electricity cuts in many parts of the country.
Although the government blames these problems on a persistent drought, which led to the implementation of a water distribution quota system, Saied claims the water cuts are a conspiracy in the run-up to the presidential election, insisting that the dams are actually full.
The Agriculture Ministry says the dam level is extremely critical and has reached 25 percent.
A growing repression
Saied was democratically elected in 2019 but orchestrated a sweeping power grab in 2021. He faces criticism from the opposition, human rights groups and candidates for restricting and intimidating competitors to pave the way for him to win a second term.
Earlier this week, an opposition politician and potential presidential candidate was sentenced to two years in prison.
Lawyer Abir Moussi was arrested last year after criticising the electoral process and is being investigated under a controversial cybercrime decree banning fake news. The sentence is the latest in a growing campaign that observers say is politically motivated against Saied's critics, regardless of their political affiliation.
Moussi is appealing to sections of the population who are nostalgic for Tunisia's pre-revolutionary era. A critic of politicians such as jailed Ennahdha leader Rached Ghannouchi, Moussi was a long-time official in President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's ruling party.
Tunisia's constitution was rewritten in 2022 to create a presidential regime whose parliament has extremely limited powers.
