Between 2008 and 2011 he was a member of his country's ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD / Rassemblement constitutionnel démocratique) (political party) Central Committee.

[1] Abbès Mohsen was born into a leading Tunisian family of Cherif provenance, which has also provided a line of imams to Al-Zaytuna Mosque.

He was appointed Director General of Protocol to the President in 1988 and Project Leader for the Interior Ministry the following year, responsible for conferences at the ENA between 1989 and 1992.

He now became permanent secretary to the country's ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD party / Rassemblement constitutionnel démocratique), a position he retained till 1997 when he accepted a post as the Tunisian ambassador to Brazil.

On 11 January 2010 the president sacked Mohsen as mayor of Tunis and he was replaced by Mohamed Béji Ben Mami [fr] who was already a member of the city council.