Tunisia ranked 70th globally and 6th in the Arab region in the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) by the non-governmental organisation «Transparency International,” that covered 180 entities and territories.
Tunisia secured 44 points out of 100, the same as in 2020, ranking behind the United Arab Emirates (24th), Qatar (31st), Saudi Arabia (52nd), the Sultanate of Oman (56th) and Jordan (58th).
This year, the global average remains unchanged for the tenth year in a row, at just 43 out of a possible 100 points. Despite multiple commitments, 131 countries have made no significant progress against corruption in the last decade. Two-thirds of countries score below 50, indicating that they have serious corruption problems, while 27 countries are at their lowest score ever.
As anti-corruption efforts stagnate worldwide, human rights and democracy are also under assault.
The latest analysis shows that protecting human rights is crucial in the fight against corruption, Transparency International said. Countries with well-protected civil liberties generally score higher on the CPI, while countries who violate civil liberties tend to score lower.
According to the organisation, the COVID-19 pandemic has also been used in many countries as an excuse to curtail basic freedoms and side-step important checks and balances.
I Watch Organisation, commenting on the report, said Tunisia’s score reflects a «stagnation» in the State’s policies in the fight against corruption. Tunisia has not succeeded to exceed the 50-point threshold during the past decade, I Watch said.
Freezing the work of the House of People’s Representatives (ARP) and lifting the MPs immunity by presidential decrees contributed to weakening control over the executive power, even in an “exceptional” manner, the organisation added. “These measures hinder public accountability.”
In the same context, the closure of the central headquarters of the National Anti-Corruption Authority (INLUCC) has deprived many whistleblowers, witnesses and experts of protection and moral support against any measures or reprisals, I Watch indicated. This has amplified the risks of spreading corruption in the public sector in particular.
“Laxity” in the fight against corruption over the past decade and the “nability of the judiciary” to end impunity have led to “the worsening of human rights violations and the weakening of democracy.”
The erosion of rights and freedoms and the decline of democracy have given way to tyranny, which contributes to high levels of corruption, according to I Watch Organisation
