He entered the government on July 26, 1988 as Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts. On January 20, 1995, he was appointed interior minister, succeeding Abdullah Kallel. On January 20, 1997, he was appointed Minister-Director of the Office of the President and, November 17, 1999, Minister of National Defence, a position he held for fourteen months. He left the government January 23, 2001 to be appointed ambassador to Rome on March 30.
