Why would a French politician be ousted from a position because of protests in Tunisia. It turns out former Foreign Minister of France Michele Alliot-Marie had close ties with members of the Tunisian government and upper class businessmen. Her and her family had close ties with the former Ben-Ali regime in Tunisia. They would conduct business deals and and Alliot-Marie would vacation in Tunisia. She resigned after taking a lot of harsh criticism from the French Media about offering French Aid in stopping the protests in Tunisia. A lot of this could have been avoided with proper handling of the situation by Alliot-Marie, she tried to cver it up and deny the accusations. In he resignation letter to Nicolas Sarkozy, she said she did nothing wrong but decided it was best if she stepped down. The situation now creates a power switch with the Defense Minister becoming the Foreign Minister. The situation, besides essentially ending Alliot-Marie's career, also presents and issue about the French government's close ties with the Arab regimes and the powerful Arab businessmen.
More information about the cabinet shake-up at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12591452
By: Zach Howell
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