He is a member of the Ennahda Movement, and the party leader Rached Ghannouchi's son-in-law. On 20 December 2011, after former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was deposed, he joined the Jebali Cabinet as minister of foreign affairs from 2011 to 2013 serving the first democratic government of Tunisia. Similar to Rached Ghannouchi he was forced into exile during the Ben Ali regime where he became one of the leaders of the party’s exiled bureau. Abdessalem was only able to return to his homeland after 21 years following the Tunisian revolution.