A new constitution threatens democracy
On July 25, 2022, the new Tunisian Constitution was adopted by referendum by a large majority (94.6%), ending the Second Republic instituted by the 2014 Constitution. Opponents of this Constitution, which endangers the young democracy, find this result not very legitimate since there was a low turnout. Of the nearly 9.3 million voters, only 2.746 million went to the polls, or 30.5% of them.
The new constitution gives central power back to the head of state, whereas the constituents elected after the October 2011 revolution had established a parliamentary system with an Assembly and a president of the Republic who is accountable to the elected representatives.
In this new constitution, the president cannot be removed from office. He chooses the head of government and ministers and can dismiss them as he sees fit. His legislation presented to parliament will take precedence. Thus, the new constitution offers few checks and balances, which threatens human rights and fundamental freedoms.
AFP reported that "Kaïs Saïed, 64, sees this overhaul as a continuation of the 'course correction' begun on July 25, 2021, when, citing political and economic blockages, he dismissed his prime minister and froze parliament before dissolving it in March."
This constitution also comes in the midst of a catastrophic economic and social environment for Tunisia, with high unemployment, low purchasing power and rising poverty.
Launch of the 2023-2025 Development Plan
The Development Plan 2023-2025 follows the Development Plan of 2016-2020 which did not keep its promises: no infrastructure projects as promised, import and export targets not met, high unemployment ...
To implement this new Plan during the year 2022, the Minister of Economy, Samir Said wished to evaluate the previous plan, in order not to repeat the same mistakes. The preliminary phase was launched on January 10, 2022. On the site ilBoursa.com, the Minister said that "this plan is of particular importance given the national challenges, especially in terms of restoring the pace of growth, creating new employment opportunities and boosting development in the interior regions. "
In mid-September 2022, a first version of the Plan was proposed, with the aim that this Plan be finally presented before the publication of the Finance Act 2023.
This Plan is also framed by a strategic vision 2035, designed by the Tunisian Institute of Strategic Studies (Ites).
The objective of these various projects is to improve the overall economic context of Tunisia.
The Tunis Declaration at TICAD 8
The eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), organized by Jica (Japan International Cooperation Agency) was held in the capital city of Tunis on August 27-28, 2022. TICAD 8 resulted in the Tunis Declaration.
"It] confirms the importance of investment in human capital, as well as the importance of multilateralism. [The Tunis Declaration] is built around three pillars: structural transformation for sustainable economic growth and development; building a resilient society; and ensuring lasting peace and stability. Based on these three pillars: economy, society, and peace and stability, the Japanese government has announced its contributions for Africa, which include 70 initiatives and actions. Many of them will be implemented by Jica in the coming years," said Jica representative Mr. Ueno Shubei in an interview. Ueno Shubei in an interview published on the website www.lapress.tn.
If this edition has gone well according to the president of Tunisia, especially with the strengthening of the mechanism for the recovery of money stolen under the regime of Ben Ali by the family and the entourage of the latter, the country has not been able to convince Japan as an African state of foreign investment.
However, at the end of these two days of meetings between Japan and African countries, the country of the rising sun "promised Tunisia an aid of 100 million dollars that will be released only after the conclusion of an agreement with the IMF."
Negotiations with the IMF
The economic crisis that Tunisia is going through has worsened with the global pandemic of 2020 and the war in Ukraine. The country is indeed dependent on wheat imports and basic necessities are increasingly expensive. This crisis mainly affects the middle and lower classes. In July 2022, the unemployment rate was 18.4% nationwide and 42% among young people. The country is facing a brain drain, with young graduates leaving the country to find a job. Added to this is the decline in tourism and government instability.
Over-indebted, Tunisia is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund to obtain a loan of 4 billion dollars. To do this, the government had to build a strong case to present to the IMF. According to Nasreddine Nsibi, the government spokesman and Minister of Vocational Training and Employment, the file was to be at the stage of final approval by the IMF's technical staff in October 2022. One of the last reforms included in this file concerns the 5% increase in public sector wages until at least 2025, after negotiations and an agreement signed between the Bouden government and the UGTT, the Tunisian General Labor Union. The latter is committed to not demanding any additional increases for three years. This fund raising would represent an economic reprieve for Tunisia.
