In the grip of a financial and economic crisis, Tunisia has requested support from the International Monetary Fund to try to make up for the deficit in its budget. In return, the financial institution demands that the authorities undertake profound reforms as soon as possible.
Clearly, Tunisia, a country that saw the birth of the 2011 revolutions, is still at an impasse. Eleven years after a popular uprising that ousted autocratic President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali and his clan from power, the country is struggling in a political crisis, but also and above all an economic and financial one.
To complete its 2022 budget, Tunisia would need to mobilize 12.7 billion dinars (3.89 billion euros) in foreign loans, writes economist Ezzedine Saidane, in a column published on the magazine’s website Leaders. While Tunisia’s sovereign rating assigned by the rating agencies is at its lowest, the economist wonders how the authorities hope to raise the sum, particularly in a political and social context marked by the absence of consensus. For him, the country runs “a serious risk of [manque de] cash”.
Given this delicate economic situation, Tunis is turning to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the last donor likely to conclude an agreement with a country whose indebtedness and economic outlook are negative.
IMF conditions
Invited this January 13 of the morning of the Tunisian radio with economic vocation Express FM, Jérôme Vacher, the permanent representative of the IMF in Tunisia, however affirmed that the financial backer was ready to support the country, which should nevertheless “launch deep reforms”. In this interview, Vacher did not hesitate to criticize, so as to
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Malik Ben Salem