US seeks democratic guarantees from Tunisia before new aid – Agencies Africa

US Secretary of State Anthony Blingen said on Thursday that Tunisia needed to address concerns about its democratic system before qualifying for international economic aid.

Speaking before a delegation in the House of Representatives, the US diplomat said he was concerned about the seizure of full powers by Tunisian President Guiz Saeed, hoping that Tunisia would have a “minimum” by the end. Promised parliamentary election year.

“The most important thing for them is to make themselves fully eligible for the assistance of international financial institutions,” he said.

Tunisia began preliminary talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in February, in which the United States is a key partner, hoping to receive billions of dollars to save the economy, which is heavily indebted to inflation and local unemployment.

Tunisian President Gaye Syed, who was elected before taking full power in July 2019, asserted the right to appoint the head of the Electoral Commission last Friday, just months before a referendum and legislative vote. This system needs to be monitored.

On Tuesday, the Tunisian opposition announced the formation of a coalition of several parties to “save” Tunisia from its deepest crisis following the coup of President Guiz Syed.

Five political parties, including the Islamist movement Ennahta and five unions, have stated that they intend to attract other political organizations and “influential” personalities before embarking on a national dialogue on reforms aimed at “saving the country”, according to the former opponent of the dictatorship. Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, left-wing political figure, Ahmed Nejib Chebbi.