Ahmad Tunisian President Kais Saied decided to extend the state of emergency in the country until the end of 2024.
The Official Gazette published a presidential order stating: “The state of emergency in the entire Republic of Tunisia shall be extended from January 31, 2024, until December 31, 2024.
The state of emergency gives the Interior Ministry exceptional powers, including banning meetings, curfews, shop searches and censoring the press, publications, radio broadcasts, and film and theatrical performances.
Opposition forces in Tunisia are concerned about the abuse of the state of emergency against those who reject exceptional measures that Saied began imposing on July 25, 2021, causing an ongoing political crisis.
These measures include the dissolution of the Judicial Council and Parliament, the issuance of legislation by presidential decrees, the holding of early legislative elections on December 17, 2022, and the adoption of a new constitution through a referendum on July 25, 2022.
The Tunisian president extends the state of emergency until the end of the current year