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Tunisia

Monthly Updates

April 2023 | Opposition groups banned from meeting after arrests of opposition officials

On 17 and 18 April, Tunisian authorities arrested four prominent opposition leaders, including former Speaker of Parliament and co-founder of the Ennahda party, Rached Ghannouchi. They also raided and closed Ennahda’s offices in Tunis and other cities. Ghannouchi’s detention follows a series of media statements in which he claimed Tunisia would be threatened by a “civil war” should political Islam be eradicated in the country. After the arrests, the Ministry of Interior banned Ennahda from holding meetings in the country and banned the opposition group National Salvation Front from holding meetings in Tunis. According to Tunisian officials, the measures are a matter of state security. The criminal proceedings against these opposition politicians have been conducted under counter-terrorism laws. The opposition arrests have received international condemnation and generated national protests. These events follow a series of arrests earlier this year. 

March 2023 | Tunisian President dissolved municipal councils and new parliament holds inaugural session

President Kais Saied issued a presidential decree on 9 March dissolving municipal councils, a few months ahead of local elections. Saied will appoint ‘special temporary councils’ to replace them until the next local elections, expected to take place no later than late October. The now-dismantled municipal councils were elected during the 2018 vote and a third were under the administration of opposition party Ennahda. According to President Said, the existing councils were ‘not neutral’ and confirmed the new councils will also be elected, although under new voting rules yet to be drafted by the president himself. Also in March, the Parliament of Tunisia convened on 13 March for the first time since it was suspended in July 2021. The new assembly, which has not been recognized by most opposition parties, consists of 154 members (seven seats remain vacant), with 25 female representatives and no members of the main opposition parties. Journalists protested outside the parliamentary building after independent press was banned from covering the event. According to Tunisian officials, the decision to only allow state news and media outlets was to avoid disorder.  

February 2023 | Wave of arrests targeted prominent opposition and media figures

The Tunisian authorities carried out a security crackdown over the month of February that included raids and detentions of prominent opposition politicians, activists, judges, media figures, labor union and business leaders. An estimated 20 individuals linked to criticism or efforts to mobilize demonstrations against the president were arrested by the police and several remain in anti-terrorism detention centers. President Kais Saied has denounced the detainees as ‘terrorists’ and ‘traitors’ accused of alleged ‘conspiracy against internal and external state security.’ Tunisia’s police, Ministry of Interior and Justice Ministry have not provided any comment on the wave of arrests this month, which represent the largest opposition crackdown in recent years. Despite increasing repression in other areas, many media outlets have been able to continue to criticize the government freely.

January 2023 | Continued low turnout in second round of parliamentary elections

Tunisia held the second round of its parliamentary elections on 29 January amid growing calls from the opposition and civil society for the cancellation of the electoral process. The Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) announced that the turnout in the second round of the legislative elections amounted to 11.4 per cent, up from 8.8 per cent in the first round. However, this level of electoral participation is a significant decline compared with the 2019 elections which had 41.7 per cent turnout. Opposition leaders attribute the low turnout to public dissatisfaction with recent policy changes, which have been criticized for being authoritarian-leaning.

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GSoD Indices Data 2012-2021

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
11 935 764
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Najla Bouden (since 2021)
Head of government party
Independent
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
Two-Round System
Women in lower or single chamber
15.53%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2023
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
1.29
Head of state
President Kaïs Saïed
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
02/05/2017
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
76.21%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
State Party
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
State Party
Arab Charter on Human Rights
No Action
in
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Attributes Over Time

Representative government neutral Representative Government
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Representative government neutral Fundamental rights
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Representative government neutral Checks on government
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Representative government neutral Impartial administration
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Representative government neutral Participatory engagement
Dec 2022
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GSoD Indices

Regime type
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