Tunisia’s PM says country should press ahead with focus to join club of strong democracy
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Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, a candidate for president in next month’s election, said on Thursday the country should press ahead with his government’s focus on the economy and security if it is to “join the club of strong democracy”.
Spending cuts and tax and fuel price increases have caused frustration among many Tunisians, prompting strikes and protests, and raising concern over disaffection in a country that embraced democracy only after a 2011 revolution.
“We have to focus on the economy in order to give Tunisians prosperity and welfare, in order to give jobs for young Tunisians and in order to prepare for a new sustainable model of development in Tunisia,” Chahed told Reuters.
Meanwhile speaking to Mosaique FM, Chahed has warned of the control of the “political and media mafia” on the country.
“The atmosphere in Tunisia is inaccurate due to political developments in connection with the arrest of the presidential candidate Nabil Al Karoui,” Chahed said in an interview broadcast Tuesday on the Tunisian radio station Mosaique FM.
He said the timing of Karoui’s arrest affected the political and electoral climate, adding the judicial process proved that it is independent of the political process, and the prime minister has no authority over the judiciary.
He described the current scene as a “political war,” rejecting “dictatorship” accusations against him.
“I am not a dictator. I am a democrat,” he stressed.
