The International Crisis Group think-tank has warned that a dispute between Tunisia's political parties about whether Prime Minister Youssef Chahed should resign has paralyzed the government.
Tunisia has been facing economic problems and rising social demands due to a high rate of unemployment (15.4 percent). The International Monetary Fund has agreed to a loan program for Tunisia tied to economic reforms aimed at keeping its deficit under control.
But political disputes have grown recently on whether Chahed should stay in power as a result of the deteriorating economic situation.
France and the European Union believe that the government’s instability is delaying reform, said a report by the International Crisis Group.
They view Chahed as a “dynamic politician” able to implement Tunisia’s commitments to its donors, it added.
According to the report, a number of foreign diplomats and experts at international organizations believe that the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) is mainly to blame for blocking economic reforms, fragmenting the chain of command within public administration and encouraging an explosion of corporatist pay claims.
If social and political tensions provoked by the debate about the composition of a new government of national unity continue to grow, then the formation of a government of “technocrats” would be a solution of last resort, it said.
For the ordinary citizen, whether Chahed continues as head of government or not is a “secondary” issue. “The priority is for political parties to demonstrate that they have rediscovered the sense of the state,” the report added.
