Tunisia - 54.95
85
Perhaps this Islamist democracy experiment is coming to an end
Sparks flew in Tunis in 2010. These sparks would soon ignite the powder keg that was the Muslim world and before long, protests had erupted from Morocco to Oman. Tunisia would emerge from the chaos the only successful democracy but it too is now in jeopardy. In 2021, President Saied enacted a state of emergency, suspended the parliament, and dismissed his cabinet and the prime minister. While Saied has generally acted within his constitutionally prescribed powers as president in a state of emergency, he installed Najla Bouden as the prime minister without parliamentary approval. The future of Tunisia’s democracy, and with it, the prospect of an Islamist democracy entirely, is unclear. Democratic experiments in Egypt and Bahrain were unsuccessful. Attempts at reform in Morocco and Algeria have seen middling results. Lebanon’s democracy is a joke and Libya needs no introduction. Before its collapse, Tunisia was the last hope for Arab Spring reforms to continue into the future. That is not to say that all hope is lost, however. Tunisia remains the highest-scoring country in continental North Africa for a reason. It maintains relatively free expression and guarantees significantly more human rights than its neighbors. If President Saied truly is a dictator like many fear, then he seems to be a benevolent one, as Tunisia has not seen a severe crackdown on civil liberties and there have been regular protests since Saied’s suspension of parliament. Additionally, Tunisia’s economy is the second-strongest in continental Africa, only two points behind first-place Algeria. But Tunisians should not take their current state of relative prosperity for granted, as the fate of Tunisia and Arab democracy as a whole hangs in the balance.
Human Rights - 53
Tunisia has functionally abolished the death penalty; the last execution was carried out in 1991. Police officers were responsible for two extrajudicial killings during the year. Police accidentally fired tear gas canisters into a home, one of which struck a resident on the head who later died of their injuries. In another instance, a protestor was struck on the head with a baton several times during their arrest, they too later died of their injuries. Police repeatedly used excessive force in suppressing antigovernment protests both before and after President Saied’s declaration of a state of emergency. Police fired tear gas canisters in residential neighborhoods, often at point blank range. Protestors were often beat during their arrest, which resulted in one fatality. Internal investigations of police were seemingly selectively applied. The government has often prosecuted cases of torture or abuse of power but has at other times ignored cases seemingly without reason. Police sometimes had high impunity for torture or brutality. The government arbitrarily arrested several protestors throughout the year. The 1973 Decree Law on the State of Emergency was sometimes used to place citizens under house arrest without charge or trial. Some 1400 people were detained throughout 2020-21 for violating COVID lockdown measures. These detentions were not politically motivated and remained largely the same both before and after the coup. Claims of security force abuses during the 2011 revolution were reviewed by military tribunal rather than civilian court. Journalists covering the military and protests were often harassed or intimidated. The coup did not notably change the situation. Several protests were brutally suppressed during the year. After protestors stormed or burned Ennahda offices in several cities, President Saied imposed a ban on public demonstrations. During this ban, several protests were brutally suppressed by the government. Homosexuality is illegal but this law is arbitrarily enforced. Laws banning homosexuality went generally unenforced but were sometimes enforced based on appearance alone. Abortion is legal to twelve weeks.
Democracy - 44
Tunisia is a democratic country under a state of autocracy due to constitutionally prescribed executive powers, limiting its score to fifty. The president is directly elected and the prime minister is chosen by parliament. In 2021, President Kais Saied enacted a state of emergency, suspended parliament, and dismissed the cabinet. President Saied has not yet acted outside his constitutionally prescribed powers as president. Parliament is directly elected but was suspended in 2021. Elections are free and fair. Tunisia has a strong multi-party system but after the 2021 self-coup, several opposition figures were placed under house arrest. Tunisia is a functioning democracy when not under a state of emergency.
Freedom - 56
Journalists covering the military or protests were often harassed or intimidated. The coup did not notably change this situation. Several protests were brutally suppressed during the year. After protestors stormed and burned Ennahda offices across Tunisia, President Saied imposed a ban on public demonstrations. During this ban, several protests were brutally suppressed by the government. The government imposed curfews for demonstrations that remained in effect at year’s end. The government conducted raids of al-Jazeera offices in Tunisia after the imposition of the state of emergency. Tunisia retains criminal defamation laws that are sometimes used to detain journalists. Islam is the state religion but freedom of religion is guaranteed. Despite this, the government retains generally unenforced blasphemy laws. All drugs are illegal in Tunisia. Shotguns are legal for hunting only.
Economy - 72
Health - 79
Tunisia has a life expectancy of 77 years and an infant mortality rate of 1.45%. 26.9% of Tunisians are obese and 6% are malnourished. Tunisia’s healthcare system is strong, providing almost Tunisians with high-quality care. However, there are some rural desert nomads that lack access to modern medicine. 85% of Tunisians have access to clean, running water. 26% of adult Tunisians smoke regularly.
Corruption - 24
Judicial verdicts are bought and sold. Police bribery is not uncommon in Tunisia. Public services must be bribed into action. Permits and deeds are near impossible to obtain without bribery. Tunisian tax administration is highly corrupt. Tax extortion is common and embezzlement in Tunisia’s tax administration is frequent. Customs extortion is rampant in Tunisia. Public contracts are impossible to obtain without bribery.
Competency - 61
Tunisia’s government is failing to resolve its ongoing political crisis. Corruption remains rampant in Tunisia. The government is failing to respond to the political unrest that has racked the country. Recent protests have called for democratic reforms and these protestors’ demands have not been met.
Future - 38
While President Saied has not yet overstepped his constitutionally prescribed authority, his enactment of a state of emergency is highly concerning. Saied has promised to return the country to democracy but has not given a timeline. Further compounding the country’s woes is that while the economy is strong, it is unstable. The economy took a massive hit from the dual threat of a global pandemic and a political crisis. It is unclear when the economy will turn around.
Actions Abroad - 73
Tunisia maintains good relations with its North African neighbors and has often acted as a mediator between Morocco and Algeria. Despite this, Tunisia has an unresolved maritime border dispute with Libya. Tunisia is a major non-NATO ally. Relations between Tunisia and Qatar have been strained since al-Jazeera’s Tunis offices were raided. Despite this, Tunisia and Qatar remain major trading partners. Tunisian dialogue to recognize Israel and formally support a two-state solution collapsed in 2000 and Tunisia still does not recognize Israel. Tunisia’s relationship with Israel is significantly less belligerent than many other nations in the Arab League, however. Tunisia does not recognize Kosovo.
0.3% of Tunisians live below the international poverty line and 15.2% live below the national poverty line. 16.6% of Tunisians are unemployed. Tunisia has a low economic disparity. The minimum wage in Tunisia is $6.50. Tunisia’s universal healthcare system provides high-quality care to almost all Tunisians, save for a few rural desert nomads. Tunisia’s economy shrunk 8.6% in 2020 and grew 1% in 2019.