Tunisian President Kais Saied extends state of emergency until December 2023

Tunisian President Kais Saied has issued a decree extending the state of emergency that has been in place in the country since November 2015.

The state of emergency was extended until the end of December this year.

Mr .Saied last extended the state of emergency on 30 December for a month. Before that, it was extended for nearly a year from February to 31 December 2022.

The initial declaration of a state of emergency in November 2015, followed a bombing targeting a bus transporting presidential guard forces, which killed 12.

The country had been rocked earlier that year by two major attacks on foreign tourists in the capital Tunis and the resort town of Sousse.

The latest move comes as Tunisia’s main opposition parties have accused Mr Saied of a power grab after he implemented a series of measures expanding his powers and curbing those of elected institutions. Opposition leaders have called on the president to stand down after recent parliamentary elections saw a record-low voter turnout.