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"I will do my best, but I cannot perform miracles," he said, pledging to form a cabinet that was "independent and neutral, bearing no animosity towards any movement or party."
Jomaa, who will also oversee fresh elections, was picked in December as the consensus candidate to head the caretaker administration and resolve Tunisia's festering political crisis, nearly three years after the uprising that toppled former strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
A little-known former industry minister, Jomaa takes over from Islamist Prime Minister Ali Larayedh at a time when Tunisia's political climate is dogged by mistrust between the ruling Islamist party Ennahda and the mainly secular opposition.
He faces the daunting task of forming a non-partisan government within 15 days and organising elections later this year in Tunisia, which has been gripped by strikes and often violent protests driven partly by the country's economic malaise.
Unemployment and regional inequality were driving factors behind the revolution that unseated Ben Ali, inspiring protests across the Middle East and North Africa that toppled leaders in Egypt, Libya and Yemen.
Jomaa's political career began only in March when he was appointed to the cabinet.
The 51-year-old father of five, who has no stated political affiliations, graduated from the National Engineering School of Tunis in 1988 before taking a higher degree in mechanics.
He then went on to a career in the private sector, and headed a division of Hutchinson, the aerospace unit of French conglomerate Total.
Jomaa became industry minister in the government that Larayedh formed in March, a month after the assassination of key opposition figure Chokri Belaid plunged the country into deep crisis.
Since then, he has stayed aloof from political jockeying and focused on his portfolio.
In particular, he has lobbied European firms to invest in the country, plagued by economic woes since the January 2011 revolution.
But he has also taken the unpopular step of backing a decision to raise fuel prices this year, with Tunisia under pressure to reduce its unaffordable subsidies.
Mahmoud Baroudi, of the Democratic Alliance, an opposition movement critical of the Islamist Ennahda party, believes Jomaa "is competent and independent enough to take on the post of premier".
But his lack of political experience, particularly on security matters, puts him at a disadvantage in confronting one of Tunisia's most pressing problems -- the threat posed by armed jihadists.
The opposition repeatedly accused the government of failing to rein in militants, who have mounted a wave of attacks since Ennahda was elected in October 2011, and of failing to stimulate an economic revival.
If Jomaa manages to form a new government of independents, it will be indirectly due to the political crisis triggered by the killing in July of opposition MP Mohamed Brahmi, which was also blamed on Islamist militants.
Another possible thorn in his side will come from the influential opposition party Nidaa Tounes, which rejected the idea of a premier from the outgoing government.
Issam Chebbi, a leader of the party, said Jomaa would "not be a prime minister of consensus".
But the fact his roots are not hard set in the fractious world of Tunisian politics could prove his doubters wrong.
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Jomaa, who will also oversee fresh elections, was picked in December as the consensus candidate to head the caretaker administration and resolve Tunisia's festering political crisis, nearly three years after the uprising that toppled former strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
A little-known former industry minister, Jomaa takes over from Islamist Prime Minister Ali Larayedh at a time when Tunisia's political climate is dogged by mistrust between the ruling Islamist party Ennahda and the mainly secular opposition.
He faces the daunting task of forming a non-partisan government within 15 days and organising elections later this year in Tunisia, which has been gripped by strikes and often violent protests driven partly by the country's economic malaise.
Unemployment and regional inequality were driving factors behind the revolution that unseated Ben Ali, inspiring protests across the Middle East and North Africa that toppled leaders in Egypt, Libya and Yemen.
Jomaa's political career began only in March when he was appointed to the cabinet.
The 51-year-old father of five, who has no stated political affiliations, graduated from the National Engineering School of Tunis in 1988 before taking a higher degree in mechanics.
He then went on to a career in the private sector, and headed a division of Hutchinson, the aerospace unit of French conglomerate Total.
Jomaa became industry minister in the government that Larayedh formed in March, a month after the assassination of key opposition figure Chokri Belaid plunged the country into deep crisis.
Since then, he has stayed aloof from political jockeying and focused on his portfolio.
In particular, he has lobbied European firms to invest in the country, plagued by economic woes since the January 2011 revolution.
But he has also taken the unpopular step of backing a decision to raise fuel prices this year, with Tunisia under pressure to reduce its unaffordable subsidies.
Mahmoud Baroudi, of the Democratic Alliance, an opposition movement critical of the Islamist Ennahda party, believes Jomaa "is competent and independent enough to take on the post of premier".
But his lack of political experience, particularly on security matters, puts him at a disadvantage in confronting one of Tunisia's most pressing problems -- the threat posed by armed jihadists.
The opposition repeatedly accused the government of failing to rein in militants, who have mounted a wave of attacks since Ennahda was elected in October 2011, and of failing to stimulate an economic revival.
If Jomaa manages to form a new government of independents, it will be indirectly due to the political crisis triggered by the killing in July of opposition MP Mohamed Brahmi, which was also blamed on Islamist militants.
Another possible thorn in his side will come from the influential opposition party Nidaa Tounes, which rejected the idea of a premier from the outgoing government.
Issam Chebbi, a leader of the party, said Jomaa would "not be a prime minister of consensus".
But the fact his roots are not hard set in the fractious world of Tunisian politics could prove his doubters wrong.
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