Slim Amamou, who was appointed as minister for youth and sport after the fall of Ben Ali, resigns
Slim Amamou, the Tunisian blogger who went from underground torture chamber to interim government in the wake of the January revolution, has quit his post as minister for youth and sport.
Amamou, 33, was appointed after the popular uprising ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, sparking revolts across the region. Before Ben Ali fled, Amamou had been arrested and held in the interior ministry's notorious basement detention cells, accused of dissident cyber activity.
Amamou was appointed to the transitional government as a symbol of youth and internet culture but became the longest-serving minister in the stop-gap administration, surviving two prime ministers and three reshuffles. This week, he tweeted that he was quitting. "I confirm I've resigned. All that's left are administrative formalities," he wrote.
Amamou had suggested in a radio interview that once a date for the country's first proper democratic elections was set, his mission would be over. The government this week confirmed the 24 July polling date, despite an independent election committee warning that logistics were not in place and recommending the date be pushed back until October.
"The most important thing for Tunisia today is the assembly election," Amamou told Express FM, and tweeted: "Nothing has changed. We're still in the Ben Ali era as long as there aren't new elections."
Amamou brought a nonconformist streak to the interim coalition government, hastily formed to oversee the election process. He famously live-tweeted from government meetings, reporting his first clash with the old guard over the fact that "I'm not wearing a tie". He was eventually banned from live-tweeting closed meetings, while his views on issues such as legalising cannabis caused concern. The coalition was often criticised by protesters who accused it of betraying the revolution. "It was an important experience, but tiring, especially the constant criticism," Amamou said this week.
The CEO of a web development company who describes himself as a defender "of the neutrality of the net", Amamou is a member of the Tunisian Pirate party, which may field candidates in the election. He recently complained of a return to internet censorship in Tunisia, warning against the government's decision to close four websites at the army's request.