Tunisian president sacks prime minister

TUNIS (Reuters) -Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani and appointed Social Affairs Minister Kamel Maddouri as his replacement, the Tunisian presidency said in a statement late on Wednesday.

Hachani was named as Tunisia's prime minister in August last year. A few hours before he was dismissed, Hachani said in a video message that the government had made progress on a number of issues despite global challenges, including securing the country's food and energy needs.

The dismissal comes amid popular discontent with the recurring water and electricity outage crisis in many parts of the country. While the government says that Tunisia is suffering from a continuous drought that has led to a quota system in water distribution, Saied sees the water cuts as a conspiracy ahead of presidential election and says that the dams are full.

The agriculture ministry says that the dam level is extremely critical and has reached 25 percent.

Saied announced his candidacy for the presidential elections in October amid widespread 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.

(Reporting by Tarek Amara and Hatem Maher Editing by Chris Reese and Diane Craft)