Two US senators have introduced legislation to limit funds to Tunisia until it “restores checks and balances”.
The bill also calls for support for the North African nation’s democratic institutions, and to authorise the creation of a fund for democratic reforms.
Jim Risch, a Republican from Idaho, and Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, ranking member and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, respectively, introduced the Safeguarding Tunisian Democracy Act on June 15, a statement on the committee’s website said.
“Tunisia emerged from the Jasmine Revolution and Arab Spring as a rare example of a nascent and developing democracy. Unfortunately, Tunisian President Kais Saied has taken several drastic actions that have undermined Tunisia’s democratic institutions and consolidated power in the executive,” said Risch.
Saied won a landslide victory in a 2019 presidential election but assumed sweeping powers in a July 2021 power grab in a move labelled a coup by his opponents.
Police in Tunisia, birthplace of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, have arrested more than 20 government opponents since February, including former cabinet ministers, trade unionists and media figures.
Article from www.aljazeera.com