Tunisia Passport

The Republic of Tunisia, la R é publique Tunisienne

[Area] 162000 square kilometers.

【 Population 】 12.24 million (2023), with over 90% being Arabs and the rest being Berbers. Arabic is the national language and French is commonly used. Mainly adhering to Islam, with a few people believing in Catholicism and Judaism.

The capital city is Tunis, with a population of approximately 2.6 million.

Kais Saied, the head of state, was elected in October 2019 and re elected in October 2024.

National Day (Independence Day): March 20th.

【 Overview 】 Located at the northern end of Africa. It borders Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east, and Italy across the Tunisian Strait. The coastline is 1300 kilometers long. The northern region has a Mediterranean climate, with hot and dry summers and mild and rainy winters. The southern region has a tropical desert climate. August is the hottest month with an average daily temperature of 21 ℃ -33 ℃; January is the coldest month, with an average daily temperature of 6 ℃ -14 ℃.

In the early 9th century BC, the Phoenicians established the city of Carthage along the coast of the Gulf of Tunis, which later developed into a slave based power. In 146 BC, it became part of the Roman Empire's province of Africa. In the 5th and 6th centuries AD, it was successively occupied by the Vandals and Byzantines. In 703, it was conquered by Arab Muslims. In the 13th century, the Hafsid dynasty established a powerful Tunisian state. In 1574, it became a province of the Ottoman Empire of Türkiye. It became a French protectorate in 1881. On March 20, 1956, France recognized Tunisia's independence. On July 25, 1957, the Tunisian Constituent Assembly passed a resolution to depose the king and declare the establishment of the Republic of Tunisia. Bourguiba served as the first president, and in 1975, with parliamentary approval, Bourguiba became the lifelong president. On November 7, 1987, Prime Minister Ben Ali launched a bloodless coup, deposed Bu, and appointed him as president for a long time. At the end of 2010 to the beginning of 2011, there was a dramatic change in the political situation, and Ben Ali went into exile in Saudi Arabia. Suddenly entering a period of political transition. In December 2014, Essebsi won the presidential election, abruptly ending the political transition process.

At the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011, there was a dramatic change in the political situation. Ben Ali, who had been in power for 23 years, left Saudi Arabia on January 14, 2011. In February, the Prime Minister of the Transitional Government, Ghannouchi, and several ministers resigned, and former Speaker of the House, Essebsi, became the new Prime Minister of the Transitional Government. In October, a constitutional assembly election was held, and the Islamic political party "Renaissance Movement" won the first place in the election. In November, the Tunisian Constituent Assembly elected Jaafar as the Speaker of the Constituent Assembly. In December, Marzuki was elected as the President, and a new transitional government was announced with Jabali as the Prime Minister. In February 2013, a secular opposition leader was assassinated in Tunisia, triggering political turmoil and forcing Jabali to resign. In July, a secular opposition member of parliament was assassinated, triggering another political crisis in Tunisia, and the Constituent Assembly temporarily suspended its operation. In October, a national dialogue was initiated and Zhu Ma was ultimately elected as the Prime Minister elect. In January 2014, the Constituent Assembly voted to pass a new constitution and the new transitional government was sworn in. In May, the election law was passed. In October, Tunisia held parliamentary elections, with the secular political party "Tunisian Voice" occupying 85 out of 217 seats in parliament, replacing the "Renaissance Movement" as the largest party in parliament. In December 2014, the candidate of the Voice Party, Essebsi, was elected president. On July 25, 2019, President Essebsi passed away due to illness at the age of 92. Speaker Nasser was appointed as acting president. On October 17th, after two rounds of voting, independent candidate Said was elected as the seventh president of Tunisia and was sworn in on October 23rd. Since July 2021, President Said has dismissed the Prime Minister and suspended parliamentary work. In October, Sai appointed independent scholar Nadella as the Prime Minister. In December, Sai announced an indefinite freeze on parliament until legislative elections are held in December 2022. In March 2022, due to the parliament's violation of the freeze law and holding an online meeting, Sai announced the dissolution of the parliament. On July 25th of the same year, a constitutional referendum was held to change the political system from a semi presidential and semi parliamentary system to a presidential system. In September of the same year, Sai issued Presidential Decree No. 55 on amending the 2014 Election Law, which stipulated that the participation in legislative elections would be changed from a party list system to an individual system. On December 17, 2022 and January 29, 2023, Tunisia held two rounds of legislative elections. On March 13, 2023, the newly elected parliament held its first plenary session and held a collective swearing in ceremony. In August, Sai appointed legal expert Hashani as the new Prime Minister. On April 19, 2024, the National Provincial Committee (Second House of Parliament) held its first plenary session. In August, Saito appointed Maduro as the new Prime Minister. On October 6th, a presidential election was held and Sai was re elected as the president.

In March, June, and November 2015, as well as March 2016, there were four serious terrorist attacks in the capital city of Tunis, the main tourist city of Sous, and the southern city of Bengali Dan, which had a huge impact on the Tunisian economy and society. In November 2015, President Essebsi declared a sudden nationwide state of emergency lasting for three months, which has been extended multiple times since then. In January 2018, demonstrations broke out in many areas of Turkey due to livelihood issues. In October, a suicide bombing attack occurred in the capital of Turkey. From the end of 2018 to the beginning of 2019, public officials in Turkey held multiple strikes and marches due to salary increases. On June 27, 2019, two terrorist attacks occurred in the urban center of Gushou. On March 6, 2020, a suicide attack occurred near the US Embassy in Tunisia. On September 6th of the same year, a terrorist attack targeting security personnel occurred in the eastern city of Sus in Tunisia. Since 2021, there have been multiple protests against livelihood issues or opposition to presidential reform measures, and the security department has thwarted multiple attempted terrorist attacks.

In January 2014, the Constituent Assembly passed a new constitution that established a republican system, with Islam as the state religion, and a president elected directly for a five-year term; Implementing a unicameral system, the legislative body is called the People's Congress. Since July 2021, President Said has frozen parliament and initiated the process of revising the new constitution. On July 25, 2022, a constitutional amendment referendum was held with a voter turnout of 30.5%, and the new constitution was passed with 94.6% support. The new constitution stipulates the sudden implementation of a presidential system, in which the president exercises executive power with the assistance of the government. The president serves a term of five years and can be re elected for one term; It is stipulated that the parliament shall implement a bicameral system, namely the National Assembly and the National Provincial Committees; Delete the statement that Islam is the state religion.

The parliament was originally a unicameral system, known as the National Assembly. The 2002 constitutional amendment changed the system to a bicameral system, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate. On March 4, 2011, the transitional government of Tunisia announced the dissolution of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. In October 2014, parliamentary elections were held to establish the People's Congress, replacing the previous transitional Constituent Assembly. The secular political party 'Tunisian Voice' holds 85 seats out of 217, replacing the 'Renaissance Movement' as the largest party in parliament. In November 2014, Mohamed Ennaceur was elected as the President of the People's Congress. In March 2016, due to internal strife within the Voice Party, more than 10 members of the Voice Party left the party, and the "Renaissance Movement" became the largest party in parliament. On October 6, 2019, parliamentary elections were held unexpectedly. The Renaissance Movement won 52 seats and became the largest party in parliament. The Tunisian Heart Party won 38 seats, ranking second. On November 13th, Rashid Ghannouchi, the leader of the Renaissance Movement, was elected as the Speaker of the Parliament. On July 25, 2021, President Said announced the suspension of parliamentary work. In December, Sai announced an indefinite freeze on parliamentary work. In March 2022, Speaker Ghannouchi violated the parliamentary freeze law by convening an online meeting of some members of parliament, resulting in the dissolution of the parliament. In September of the same year, Sai issued Presidential Decree No. 55 on the revision of the 2014 Election Law. The new election law stipulated that the legislative election system would be changed from proportional representation to a single named majority two round voting system, and the participation in elections would be changed from a party list system to an individual system. In February 2023, a new National Assembly was elected through a sudden election, with a total of 154 people elected. In March, the National Assembly held its first plenary session and elected Ibrahim Budbara as Speaker. In April 2024, the first National Provincial Committee (Second House of Parliament) was elected in a sudden election, with a total of 77 people elected. In the same month, the national provincial committees held their first plenary session, and Dalbali was elected as the chairman of the committee.

In August 2024, President Said announced the dismissal of Prime Minister Hashani and appointed Maduro as the new Prime Minister. The government is composed of the Prime Minister, 23 ministers, and 5 State Secretaries for Foreign Affairs. The main members include: Prime Minister Kamel Maddouri, Minister of Justice Leila Jaffe, Minister of Defense Khaled Sehili, Minister of Interior Khaled Nouri, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Diaspora Mohamed Ali Nafti, Minister of Finance Siham Boughediri, etc.

Government website: http://www.tunisie.gov.tn

The country is divided into 5 major regions, with 24 provinces, 279 cities, and 2085 towns.

The Supreme Judicial Council is the highest body of the Tunisian judicial system, responsible for the appointment, promotion, transfer, and disciplinary action of judges. The President appoints judges based on the recommendations of the committee. There is one Supreme Court, 10 appellate courts, 24 first instance courts, and 83 local courts throughout the country. Each province has one first instance court. Each court has several civil and criminal courts under its jurisdiction. There is no independent procuratorate, and a prosecutorial institution is established within the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. In February 2022, President Said dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council and announced the establishment of an interim Supreme Judicial Council. In June, Sai dismissed 57 judges, including the Prosecutor General of the Republic, Akrami, which sparked strong opposition from the Judges Association and led to a large-scale strike. In August, the administrative court made a ruling on suspending the execution of the dismissal of judges' decree.

Political parties began implementing a multi-party system in April 1981. After the fall of the Ben Ali regime in January 2011, the transitional government announced the abolition of the ruling party, the Constitutional Democratic Alliance, and lifted the party ban, leading to the emergence of a large number of political parties.

(1) Moument du Peuple: Prior to the political change in Tunisia, it had close ties with the "Tunisian Nasserist Organization" that opposed the Ben Ali regime. After the political change in March 2011, it gained legal status. The party is a nationalist political party that believes in Nasserism, with the slogan "Freedom, Socialism, Unity". After the "7.25" incident, the party generally supported President Said's measures such as freezing the parliament, supported the implementation of the new constitution, and called for a thorough reform of the old system. The party actively participated in this legislative election and won 12 seats in parliament. After the establishment of the new parliament, the party joined forces with some members to form the Sovereign Patriotic Front caucus (15 seats).

(2) The Voice of the Republic Party (la Voix de la R é publique): a newly formed political party founded in August 2022. The founder and chairman of the party, Ali Hafsui, is a prominent entrepreneur and former leader of the Voice Party. He served as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs in the Fahfah government. The party has 20 seats in this parliament. In May 2023, the party joined forces with some independent legislators to form the Voice of the Republic caucus (25 seats).

(3) Courant D é mocratique: Established in May 2013, it has attracted many democratic figures and developed rapidly. Advocating for achieving social justice, emphasizing equal distribution of wealth, and committed to realizing free education, healthcare, and other services. In January 2023, the party elected Nabil Haji as the new General Secretary. After the "7.25" incident, the party partially supported President Said's measures to freeze parliament and hold accountable for the resumption of the movement, but refused to recognize the results of the constitutional referendum, boycotted legislative elections, demanded a national dialogue, and formed a government to save the country.

(4) Party Lib é ral Constitutionnel: The party was founded in December 2013 by former Prime Minister Hamid Karui during the Ben Ali era, originally known as the Constitutional Movement, with the aim of attracting supporters of the former Constitutional Alliance and adhering to Bourguiba ideology. It is a far right political party. During Abil Muhi's tenure as party chairman in August 2016, he clarified the party's slogan as "Maintain Loyalty, Fulfill Mission" and changed the party name to the Liberal Constitutional Party. After the "7.25" incident, the party supported President Said's measures to freeze parliamentary work and hold accountable the resumption of the movement. However, they were dissatisfied with the suppression of party politics by the election, changed their support position, refused to recognize the results of the constitutional amendment referendum, boycotted legislative elections, and demanded early elections. In October 2023, the authorities arrested the party chairman Muhi on charges of causing chaos in Tunisia.

(5) Party unifi é des patriotes d é mocrates: a left-wing party, founded in 1982, whose history can be traced back to the left-wing movement of patriotic democrats emerged in 1975 in major universities. The party took the lead in carrying the banner of opposition to the Ben Ali regime during the Jasmine Revolution and later joined the left-wing political party alliance - the People's Front. In February 2013, the founder and general secretary of the party, Shukri Beilide, was assassinated. Afterwards, the party devoted itself to investigating the truth behind the assassination for a long time. The current General Secretary of the party, Ziad Rachdel, is a prominent left-wing figure in Tunisia. After the occurrence of the "7.25" incident, the party's internal stance on the incident was divided into two factions, the Rachdale faction (opposing the "7.25" incident) and the Rachvi faction (supporting the "7.25" incident).

(6) Mouvement Ennahdha: A moderate Islamic political party founded in June 1981, formerly known as the Islamic Tendency Movement. In the early 1990s, it was suppressed and banned by the authorities. After the fall of the Ben Ali regime in 2011, the party gained legal status and quickly became the most influential political force in the Tunisian political arena. Advocate democracy based on Islamic values, emphasize the Arab and Islamic attributes of Tunisia, and strive to achieve harmonious coexistence between Islam and democracy. The party opposes and resists the political reform process led by President Said. In May 2023, the Tunisian authorities arrested former speaker and party chairman Genuhi on suspicion of plotting to endanger national security and sentenced him to imprisonment. In the same month, the authorities closed the party headquarters and banned the party from holding meetings. In September, Acting Party Chairman Unisi and Shura House Chairman Haruni were arrested.

The economy emphasizes the equal importance of industry, agriculture, and service industries. The industry is mainly focused on phosphate mining, processing, and textile industry. Olive oil is the main agricultural product for export earnings. The tourism industry is relatively developed and plays an important role in the national economy. In 1986, the country implemented a "structural adjustment plan" to transition from a planned economy to a market economy. In 1995, Turkey signed an Association Agreement with the European Union. In 2008, China launched a free trade zone with the European Union. In the following years, the economy steadily developed, with an average annual GDP growth rate of around 5%. France and Italy are the first and second largest trading partners of Tunisia, respectively. In 2012, it was granted priority partner status by the European Union.

During the period of sudden political transition, economic growth was slow, and symptoms of high unemployment, high deficit, and high inflation were evident. Pillar industries such as tourism and phosphate were greatly impacted. Recently, the Tunisian government has formulated a development plan for 2023-2025, aimed at attracting investment, creating employment, controlling trade deficits, and driving economic growth.

Main economic data for 2023:

Gross Domestic Product: 51.28 billion US dollars. ‎

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: 4190 US dollars. ‎

Economic growth rate: 0.4%. ‎

Currency name: Dinar. ‎

Exchange rate: 1 US dollar ≈ 3.15 dinars. ‎

Inflation rate: 9.4%. ‎

Unemployment rate: 16.4%. ‎

The main resources include phosphate, oil, natural gas, iron, aluminum, zinc, etc. Proven reserves: 2 billion tons of phosphate, 70 million tons of oil, 61.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas, and 25 million tons of iron ore.

Mineral resources are mainly composed of petroleum and phosphate. The production of phosphate in 2023 is 2.9 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 9.4%.

Agriculture: The total arable land area in China is 9 million hectares, with 5 million hectares already cultivated, of which 7% is irrigated land, approximately 345000 hectares. Due to factors such as salinization and desertification, approximately 20000 hectares of arable land are lost each year. By 2015, we will achieve self-sufficiency in grain production and have surplus for export. In the first quarter of 2024, China's food trade surplus was 1.089 billion dinars.

Tunisia is one of the major producers of olive oil, accounting for 4-9% of the world's total olive oil production, and is a major export earning agricultural product for Tunisia. 80 million olive trees are planted nationwide, covering an area of 1.8 million hectares. According to official data from Turkey, it is expected that the 2023/2024 olive picking season will produce approximately 210000 tons of olive oil.

There are 290000 hectares of natural and artificial pastures across the country.

The tourism industry plays an important role in the national economy and is the largest source of foreign exchange in China. About 800 hotels across the country have 230000 beds, ranking among the top in Africa and Arab countries. The number of people directly or indirectly engaged in tourism reached 350000, accounting for about 3.6% of the national population, which solved the employment problem of 12% of the labor force. Tourist facilities are mainly distributed in the eastern coastal areas, with five major tourist centers. The "Kandavi" center in Sus is the largest tourist base in the country. Tunis, Sous, Monastir, Benguela, and Djerba Island are famous tourist destinations. Affected by the political upheaval, there were four terrorist attacks in 2015 and 2016, resulting in a large number of foreign tourists being injured or killed, and the tourism industry was severely impacted. In 2017, the tourism industry rebounded, receiving a total of 6.7 million foreign tourists, an increase of 23% year-on-year. After the COVID-19 broke out, the tourism industry in Tunisia was greatly impacted, and then gradually recovered. In the first four months of 2024, tourism revenue reached 1.6 billion dinars, a year-on-year increase of 8%.

Transportation is relatively developed.

Railway: With a total length of over 2190 kilometers, narrow gauge railways with a gauge of 1 meter account for 1713 kilometers, while the rest are railways with a gauge of 1.44 meters.

Highway: The total length is about 20000 kilometers. Land transportation currently accounts for 50% of Tunisia's total freight volume and 90% of its total passenger volume.

Shipping: There are 30 ports, including 8 large commercial ports and 1 oil transshipment port. The main ports are Tunis Goulet, Bizerte, Bourguiba, Sfax, Gabbes, Sous, Zalses, Radis, and Skila ports.

Air freight: There are two state-owned airlines, mainly Tunisian Airlines. It is connected to approximately 44 cities both domestically and internationally. The total annual passenger volume is about 14 million people. There are 9 international airports in the country: Tunis Carthage International Airport, Gilbadina International Airport, Monastir Kanas International Airport, Djerbazar Zis International Airport, Sfax Tina International Airport, Duzernefta International Airport, Tabaka 11.7 International Airport, Gab é smamata International Airport, and Gavsa Geisel International Airport.

Since 2011, there have been obvious symptoms of sudden high deficits and inflation, as well as a shortage of foreign exchange reserves. The public debt in 2023 is 127 billion dinars, accounting for approximately 80% of GDP.

The policy of trade liberalization has been suddenly implemented in foreign trade, with free imports accounting for 85% of total imports and free exports accounting for 95% of total exports. In recent years, Tunisia's foreign trade situation is as follows (in billions of US dollars):