Tunisia extends state of emergency for another month
4181 Min Read
The Tunisian government has extended the country’s state of emergency for another month, amid on-going political tensions as elections approach later this year.
Tunisian President Caid Essebsi signed a bill extending emergency laws on Monday, after consultation with Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mohamed Ennaceur on issues related to national security.
Tunisian emergency law grants the interior minister exceptional powers, including carrying out home arrests, banning official meetings, imposing curfews, monitoring media and press, prohibiting assemblies and media censorship without judicial approval.
Tunisia has occupied a state of emergency for more than three years; it was first instated in November 2015 after a suicide bomb was detonated next to a van carrying members of the presidential guard, which killed 12 officers and injured several others. It has since been extended numerous times, the last occasion being in January.
The country has also witnessed dozens of protests over the past year against austerity measures, implemented as part of the government’s commitment to an IMF conditional loan programme in 2016 worth some $2.8 billion.
