After Zine El Abidine Ben Ali came to power, he was appointed leader of the Medenine Governorate on 21 November 1987, then became CEO of the Agence foncière de l'habitat.

Chaouch first entered government when he became a secretary to the Minister of Public Health on 31 July 1992.

He then became Minister of Housing and Equipment on 15 June 1993, before heading the Ministry of the Interior beginning on 9 October 1997 and ending on 17 November 1999.

He was appointed to the Social and Economic Council before serving as Secretary General of the Democratic Constitutional Rally party from 5 December 2000 until 18 August 2005.

He was then appointed Ambassador to Austria and became Tunisia's representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency.