Blinken encourages Tunisia reform in talks with leader – State – Reuters

Blinken encourages Tunisia reform in talks with leader – State – Reuters

Nov 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken encouraged Tunisia's leader to make reforms to respond to Tunisians' hopes for "democratic progress", the U.S. State Department said on Sunday, nearly four months after President Kais Saied seized political power.

Saied said last week he was working non-stop on a timetable for reforms to defuse growing criticism at home and abroad since he dismissed the cabinet, suspended parliament and took personal power in July.

Last week, thousands of Tunisians protested near parliament in the capital, demanding he reinstate the assembly, while major foreign donors whose financial assistance is needed to unlock an International Monetary Fund rescue package for the economy have urged him to return to a normal constitutional order.