Tunisia must address democracy concerns for aid, says US

Share
1 min read
The US has stepped up criticism of the current dispensation in Tunisia after initially hoping for a quick resolution of the political troubles in the birthplace of the Arab Spring. (Creative Commons)
Share
  • Tunisia has been seeking a loan package from the IMF, in which the US is the largest stakeholder
  • The country is currently coping with an economic crisis aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic

Tunisia needs to address concerns on democracy if it wants badly needed international economic support, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

Testifying to Congress, the top US diplomat voiced concern about power-grabbing by President Kais Saied and said “at the very least” Tunisia needed to go ahead with parliamentary elections promised by the end of the year.

“I think the most important thing that need to do is to make themselves fully eligible for support from the international financial institutions,” Blinken told the House Appropriations Committee.

“What’s happened now has gotten them off track on that,” he said.

“We’ve been making clear that our support can be there, but we need to see Tunisia return to the track that it was on.”

Tunisia has been seeking a loan package from the International Monetary Fund, in which the United States is the largest stakeholder, as it copes with an economic crisis aggravated by the Covid pandemic.

Saied, who was elected in 2019, sacked the government last year and has since given himself the power to name the head of the country’s electoral authority.

President Joe Biden’s administration has stepped up criticism of Saied after initially hoping for a quick resolution of the political troubles in Tunisia, birthplace of the Arab Spring.

US lawmakers have pressed Biden to take stronger action including shutting down a nearly $500 million aid package under the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which is eligible for countries that respect democratic governance.

SPEEDREAD


Today's Headlines

The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

MORE FROM THE POST