Najla Bouden Romdhane, who was appointed as the first woman prime minister of Tunisia, is a geologist and university professor. She was named the prime minister on Wednesday by President Kais Saied after assumed executive authority, sacked the prime minister and suspended parliament.

Romdhane was asked to assume control and form a new government amid the growing chaos in the country after the president seizure.

“For the first time in Tunisia’s history, a woman will head a government,” Saied said in a video posted on the presidency’s Facebook page.

With her appointment, Romdhane becomes the first woman in her country but the whole Arab World. Earlier, Romadhane served in the education ministry in 2011.

Born in 1958 in Dar Chaabane El-Fehri, Romdhane is an engineer by profession and a professor of higher education at the
National Engineering School of Tunis at Tunis El Manar University, having
specialized in geosciences. She has a PhD from the École des Mines de Paris
in earthquake engineering. Her work has focused on seismic hazards in Tunis.

In 2011, she was appointed director-general in charge of quality at the Ministry of Higher Education.

Since 2016, Romdhane was Head of the Management by Objectives Unit for the implementation of the Higher Education Reform Project in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Romdhane is also the recipient of Officer of the National Order of Merit of Tunisia.

According to Anadolu Agency, Romadhane does not have any political affiliation and since her appointment, there hasn’t been any reaction from Tunisia’s powerful General Labour Union or political parties.

More than 100 Ennahdha officials announced their resignations on Saturday to protest the choices of the party’s leadership in confronting the North African country’s political crisis.

Lawmaker Samir Dilou, a former government minister who resigned from Ennahdha, called Romdhane’s appointment “illegal” because it was based on Saied’s presidential decrees.