The perception of corruption has increased in some Arab countries in the wake of their uprisings, according to Transparency International.
In the annual index of corruption perception, Tunisia fell from the 59th place to the 73rd with a score down to 3.8 against 4.3 in the CPI index that includes 183 countries and is based on independent investigations into corruption.
Tunisia became the cradle of the “Arab Spring” when a wave of protests had forced, in January 2011, former President Zine el-Abidine to flee to Saudi Arabia. The revolution opened the way for popular uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen, which have reshaped the political landscape of the Middle East. “We saw a new movement in the Arab countries,” Director General of Transparency International, Cobus de Swardt told Reuters.
“Egypt regressed from the 98th to the 112th place with a CPI of 2.9, and Syria moved from the 127th place down to the 129th and Yemen and Libya, which were 146th, fell to the 164th and 168th places this year, respectively.
