In a press release, the IMF discloses a negative list of member states that have delayed their consultations under Article IV of the Fund or reached a deadlock on their mandatory financial stability assessments for more than 18 months, in addition to the 15-month period that is normally granted. Tunisia is one of them.
For the first time since its accession in 1958, the IMF Council placed Tunisia, on January 5, 2024, on a so-called “black” or “negative” list. alongside countries such as Venezuela, Yemen, Belarus, Chad, Haiti and Burma. This follows the delay in finalizing consultations between Tunisia and IMF representatives, according to Mosaïque FM, a local radio station.
In its report, the IMF explains that this classification in the negative list is a result of multiple factors, including “the delay in discussions with the authorities of the countries concerned on economic issues and the policies adopted, the political or security situation, or even a change of government in certain countries or even elections or certain decisions to change the members of governments”… Clearly, the IMF reserves the right as sovereign as it is discretionary to list the member countries in this blacklist as it wishes.
Article IV consultations constitute the main tool of bilateral surveillance, via a stay of a delegation from the Fund during which the latter conducts discussions with government representatives, but also with those of the private sector , unions and non-governmental or academic organizations. A practice that has become incompatible with the sovereignty policy advocated by President Saïed and whose credo is now openly that of a hunt for foreign interference.
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