First Independent Mena Newspaper
Tunisia under Kais Saied is on the footsteps of Authoritarian Algeria. Mimicking Tebboune, Saied uses a rhetoric imbued with conspiracy theories, the threat of the foreign hand and opacity as he seeks a second term. In a speech on the anniversary of the passing away of President Bourgiba, Saied launched a diatribe on the opposition […]
The trade deficit in Tunisia widened by record 56% in the first semester of 2022, reaching 8.1% of GDP, while the budget deficit, exacerbated by mounting energy and food subsidies, is expected to reach 9.1% in 2022, compared to 7.4% in 2021, according to the World Bank’s latest report. Inflation in this country rose from […]
Former US ambassador to Tunisia Gordon Gray has urged the President Kais Saied not to take a leaf out of ex- autocratic Ben Ali’s book, noting that the incumbent Tunisian leader has a disdain for democratic institutions and disregard for the economy. “In August, I warned that Saied seemed to be following in Ben Ali’s […]
A court in Tunisia sentenced former President Moncef Marzouki to four years in prison in absentia for working against the interests of the North African country. Marzouki, who has been outside the country for several months, has been subject to an arrest warrant issued against him in early November following his indictment for treason, on […]
Morocco has been lately making the headlines of international media and has been at the focus of many analyses by renowned pundits as it gears to hold elections this Wednesday, September 8, a poll that will concern for the first time legislative, regional and local elections, out of concern to rationalize expenses, in addition to […]
The Tunisian parliament approved earlier this week the 2019 budget, which does not provide for any new taxes on individuals in a move to buy social peace. Earlier this year, People had taken to the streets to protest against the government’s austerity measures. The protests broke out after activists and politicians denounced increases in VAT […]
The Amman-based Think Tank, Arab Reform Initiative, released its annual Arab Democracy Index showing that Morocco continues to lead for the fourth consecutive year, followed by Tunisia and Jordan. The report, using surveys, measures the democratic transition process in Jordan, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt and Morocco. Kuwait came fourth followed […]
Moroccan automotive industry is gaining momentum and growing at a rapid pace due to incentives and competitive factors attracting more and more investors and makers of car parts. These factors include Morocco’s proximity to European market, modern infrastructures, free trade zones, qualified cheap manpower, open economy and stability. French car manufacturer Peugeot-Citroën has just launched […]
Morocco reinforced its attractiveness for FDIs on the African continent thanks notably to its political stability and economic reforms, said the London-based multinational professional services firm, Ernst and Young (EY). According to EY’s latest Africa Attractiveness Index (AAI), Morocco was ranked the most luring for foreign investors, followed by Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and Tanzania. […]
Morocco continues to make notable progress in economic liberalization, according to 2017 Index of Economic Freedom created by the Heritage Foundation and Wall Street Journal. The North African country, which ranked 8th in Africa and 86th globally, is benefiting from a commitment to economic reforms that encourage a dynamically evolving private sector, says the annual […]