Tunisia

Official name: 
Tunisian Republic
Name in local language: 
الجمهورية التونسية transliterated in English as al-Jumhuriyatu at-Tunisiya
Form of government: 
Republic
Political system: 
Semipresidential Democracy
  • Founding date/ Date of independence:  1956
  • Date of constitution/last reform:  Adopted on January 26th 2014, replaces that of 1959 ammended many times.
  • Form of state: Unitary, although the new Constitution enables the election of Regional Councils entitled with administrative and financial powers.
  • Administrative divisions:  24 governorates
  • Official language(s):  Arabic
  • Other spoken languages:   French and Berber (small Southern areas)
  • Minorities:  Religious: Christians and Jews
  • Dominant actor(s):  trade union UGTT, islamist movement (Nahda), business and secular elites.
  • Elected institutions of government:  President,  Government and Assembly of People Representatives (Maylis al-nuwab al-sha'ab).
  • Non-elected  institutions of government:   regional governors and local authorities.
  • Party system:  two blocks system: one rather uniform created around the Islamist Movement and a quite fragmented secular block, spreading from left wing to centre to right wing parties.

Current authorities

  • Head of state: Kais Saied, winner in second round of 13th October 2019 presidential polls after defeating Nabil Karoui.
  • Head of government:  Elyes Fakhfakh was designated on January 20th 2020 to form a new coalition government. Habib Jemli replaced former PM Youssef Chahed since November 2019,
  • Minister of Foreign Affairs: Sabri Bach Tobji (interim)
  • Minister of Interior: Hichem Fourati (interim)
  • Head(s) of Legislative Branch: Rachid Ghannouchi, after legislative elections held on October 6th 2019.
  • Composition of legislative branch: Results of the elections to the first democratic Asssembly (2nd Republic), October 2019
  • Head of the Judiciary:  pending formation of the Constitutional Court.
  • Schematic representation of the political system: under construction

Links