Tunisian President, Essebsi is dead!

 

Tunisian President, Essebsi is dead!

President of Tunisia, Beji Caid Essebsi – the first leader after the Arab Spring revolution – has died at the age of 92.

 Essebsi’s son said on Wednesday the President had been taken to a military hospital – the second health crisis for the leader in a month. The Tunisian President had been taken to hospital last month and spent a week there after suffering a “severe health crisis. But he has only been seen in public twice since leaving there on July 1, sparking fears over his health.

Since he was hospitalised last month, politicians had called for greater transparency over his health as fears grew over the stability of Tunisia.

Mr Essebi is regarded as a major player in Tunisia since the overthrow of veteran autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali and transition to democracy since 2011.

This was followed by uprisings against authoritarian leaders across the Middle East, including in nearby Libya and Egypt.

Parliamentary elections are expected to be held on October 6, with a presidential vote six weeks later on November 17.

They will be the third set of polls in which Tunisians can vote freely following the 2011 revolution.

This is a breaking story