Summary:

This week, Freedom House released its 2023 report on political rights and civil liberties in Tunisia, noting a significant decline in the country’s numerical score which is based on ratings across a number of areas of governance. Freedom House is a US-based non-governmental organization that advocates for democratic governments to be accountable to the citizens of their respective countries. This report follows the late-January report from Transparency International that raised concerns about the rise of corruption in Tunisia in recent years.

Tunisia’s overall score fell from 64 to 56, losing eight points. There was a particular focus of concern from Freedom House on judicial processes and the rule of law. The Freedom House report asserts that the rule of law has suffered as the “president unilaterally replaced the High Judicial Council and dismissed dozens of judges after granting himself the power to do so.” Despite the decline, Tunisia continues to follow Israel as the second highest scorer among Middle East and North African countries.

Outlook:  

The recently released Freedom House report reiterates the concerns of many who have marked the loss of democratic gains in Tunisia in recent years. While the current administration continues to operate with a mandate to weed out corruption across both government and industry, Freedom House and others continue to argue that this has resulted in a potentially concerning degradation of the rule of rule. Our team is closing watching how these developments may impact business operations and foreign investment in Tunisia as the political, legal, and security environment continues to evolve.

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