Government and power in Tunisia

Who leads Tunisia, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary presidential republic (2022 Constitution).

Who leads Tunisia?

• Head of state: Kaïs Saïed (Président de la République tunisienne)
• Head of government: Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri (Chef du gouvernement de la République tunisienne)
• Foreign minister: Mohamed Ali Nafti (Ministre des Affaires étrangères, de la Migration et des Tunisiens à l'étranger de la République tunisienne)

Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Governance scores

The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.

Voice and accountability

Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.

Political stability and absence of violence

Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.

Government effectiveness

Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.

Regulatory quality

Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.

Rule of law

Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.

Control of corruption

Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.

Official bodies that hold power in Tunisia

Government

• Presidency of the Government
  Publishes Council of Ministers communiqués, government decisions and official news.
• Presidency of the Republic
  Publishes presidential decrees, speeches and official statements.

Parliament

• Assembly of the Representatives of the People
  Publishes plenary sessions, bills and the list of deputies.

Elections

• Independent High Authority for Elections
  Publishes voter registration data, candidate lists and official election results.

Public audit

• Court of Auditors
  Publishes annual reports on public finances and audits of public bodies and election campaigns.

Ombudsman

• Administrative Mediator
  Publishes annual reports on complaints between citizens and the administration.

Access to information

• Access to Information Authority (INAI)
  Decides appeals under the access-to-information law and publishes its decisions and request forms.

Public contracts

• TUNEPS online public procurement system
  Mandatory national platform for publishing public tenders and receiving bids online.
• Public procurement observatory (HAICOP)
  Publishes tender notices, award results, procurement plans and regulations.

Government below the national level

• Districts (aqalim, 5): District councils made up of representatives of the regional councils in the district
• Governorates (24): Governor (wali) appointed by the President; regional council made up of local councillors chosen by lot, with membership rotating every three months
• Delegations / local councils (279): Members elected one per imada (smallest area) in individual-candidate elections, plus one seat for a person with disabilities chosen by lot
• Municipalities (350): Elected councils dissolved in March 2023; run by appointed special delegations or the municipal secretary-general

How local power works in Tunisia

Places in Tunisia

• All 24 governorates
• Official statistics for Tunisia

Sources

• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.