Politics

Again, Tunisian MPs want exclusive power of central bank over interest rates abolished

Published

2 months ago

October 20, 2024

A measure by MPs on Friday indicated that the Tunisian central bank will no longer be the only entity able to alter interest rates or the country’s foreign exchange policy; rather, it will be permitted to finance the government.

President Kais Saied, who has maintained that the central bank shouldn’t be a state within a state, has continuously criticised the action, which is the most recent that will destroy the bank’s independence.

The current dire state of public finances prompts the possible significant amendment to the central bank statute. The opposition has referred to Saied’s 2021 takeover of practically all power as a coup, and since then, the nation has been unable to obtain Western support. Saied ruled by decree.

If the bank law was not altered, 27 legislators issued a dire warning, stating that Tunisia would unavoidably go bankrupt.

They claimed that the state has suffered enormous losses, estimated at $36.6 billion, due to the present law passed in 2016 and prohibits the central bank from making direct bond purchases or loans to the public treasury.

Additionally, the measure suggests that the president must give his or her consent before the bank can make agreements with international supervisory bodies.

Saied said the central bank should lend directly to the state treasury rather than through expensive bank loans, rejecting the central bank’s independence last year.

To close a budget deficit, the administration requested in January that the central bank give the Treasury $2.25 billion in direct funding.

Marouan Abassi, the former governor of the central bank, has cautioned that purchasing Treasury bonds carries risks, such as increasing inflation and depreciating the value of the Tunisian pound. Saied replaced Abassi with Zouhair Nouri earlier this year.

The central bank has had total authority over reserves, gold, and monetary policy since 2016. However, the proposed statute demonstrated that the central bank might modify exchange rates, gold-related operations, and interest rates after consulting with the government.

The bill permits the central bank to purchase government bonds from banks and lend directly to the government up to 3% of GDP for bonds that have maturities longer than five years.

According to financial sources, the action will probably open the door for a fresh government request that the central bank grant the government loans and direct facilities totalling up to $2.6 billion.

Related Topics:Featured Tunisia Tunisia Central Bank

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.