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Tunisia

Monthly Event Reports

January 2024 | Election of new second parliamentary chamber marked by low turnout
Election flag

Tunisia held two rounds of elections to select members of local councils for a five-year term. These elections represent a significant step towards the establishment of the National Council of Regions and Districts, which will serve as a second chamber in the Tunisian parliamentary system. The second parliamentary chamber was established as part of the 2022 constitution. Opposition parties criticized the move as another step towards ‘authoritarian governance’, leading to calls for a boycott of the vote. More than 260 prominent Tunisian figures signed a petition against the election, claiming it aimed to weaken local power.  The electoral process was marked by a lack of public interest and popular engagement was low. Tunisia’s Independent High Electoral Commission (ISIE) confirmed a 12.53 per cent voter turnout in the second round, a slight increase from the 11.7 per cent participation seen during the first round. 779 candidates were elected, including 72 women and 139 candidates under 36 years of age. The ISIE announced that two candidates' results were annulled due to violations; one held dual nationality, while the other was found guilty of electoral offenses. The final results will be announced in March following all administrative court appeals. The first round of elections, held in December 2023, saw 1,348 local council members elected from 6,177 candidates across 2,155 districts.

August 2023 | President Saied appoints new prime minister

On 1 August, President Kais Saied dismissed Prime Minister Najla Bouden and appointed Ahmed Hachani as her replacement. Hachani, who previously served as the human resources director at Tunisia's central bank, steps into his role amid an escalating economic and social crisis in the country. Saied has publicly expressed dissatisfaction with government officials and the deteriorating public services, including frequent water and electricity disruptions. Her dismissal, for which no official reason was given, coincided with rising shortages, especially of state-subsidised bread. Recent escalations in these shortages have raised concerns of potential civil unrest similar to the deadly bread riots in 1984. President Saied emphasized the urgent need to address these challenges to ‘safeguard the country, its institutions, and societal peace’.

July 2023 | Authorities relocate African migrants amid escalating racial tensions

Tunisia has been grappling with an unprecedented surge in migration, associated with leading to an increase in racially motivated harassment and violence against refugees. In early July, Tunisian security forces reportedly relocated an estimated 1,200 migrants, the majority from sub-Saharan Africa to remote regions near the borders with Libya and Algeria. The expulsions followed days of unrest in the city of Sfax where Tunisians had held protests against the presence of refugees and a local man was killed during the violent confrontations. Human Rights Watch raised concerns on 6 July about the dire humanitarian situation and serious migrant rights violations. Tunisian authorities responded by relocating hundreds of migrants from border areas to town shelters after criticisms surfaced about living conditions. However, there are reports of migrants who have died or are missing in these remote areas, with Libyan authorities finding several bodies on their border with Tunisia. In the first half of 2023, Tunisian authorities rescued over 15,000 migrants and recovered the bodies of 901 more who drowned off its coast, according to the country's Interior Minister.

June 2023 | Harassment of government critics raises concerns

In June, concerns over freedom of speech in Tunisia were heightened following the detention of prominent journalist, Zied El Heni. El Heni was taken into police custody on 21 June after criticizing the President and was accused of "crimes through telecommunications" channels but was released two days later. Concurrently, Tunisia has seen a wave of protests this month with demonstrators demanding the release of political prisoners. In view of these developments, the UN's Human Rights Chief has urged Tunisia to stop curbing media freedoms. Against this backdrop, the Parliamentary Bureau ruled on 15 June to prevent journalists from reporting on parliamentary committee gatherings. Subsequently, on 17 June, a judicial order was issued prohibiting media coverage of two cases related to alleged plots against state security, in which several political figures have been detained and prosecuted since February. Critics view these arrests and the media ban as attempts to silence opposition. Official statements indicate the ban was implemented to safeguard the privacy of individuals involved in the investigations.  

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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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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 Ahmed Hachani (since 2023)
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%
Population Tooltip
11 935 764
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani (since 2023)
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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Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
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Representation neutral Rights
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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
Sep 2023
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Global State of Democracy Indices

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Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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