TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia's elected assembly approved on Wednesday the president's move to fire the head of the central bank.

President Moncef Marzouki fired central bank Governor Mustapha Kamel Nabli on June 27, alleging that the financial official had refused to bring the country's monetary policies in line with its economic needs.

Of the 217-person assembly, 110 voted Wednesday in favor of the dismissal and 62 against, with 10 abstentions.

The prime minister's office had originally hesitated at the president's call but eventually came around. The dismissal had created a rift between the two men, who come from different parties in the ruling coalition.

Representatives of Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali's powerful Islamist Ennahda party, which dominates the assembly, argued for Nabli's dismissal, making the vote in the assembly a foregone conclusion.

Still, the heated debate over Nabli's fate lasted for hours and in his defense, the former World Bank economist warned against an attack on the independence of the bank and Tunisia's international credibility.

"It is the credibility of Tunisia on the global stage that is at stake," Nabli said, warning against "a danger that could sink the institutions of the state and the stability of the country."

Nabli has led the central bank since Tunisians overthrew their longtime dictator in January 2011 and was known to pursue a very independent policy from the government.

He presided over a period of economic shock, including 2 percent negative growth rate last year. The economy has been reeling since tourists deserted this once-popular destination following the dictator's ouster, and strikes have crippled the mining sector. Continued...