Updated: Tunisia’s leader Essebsi gravely ill
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Tunisia’s 92-year-old president, Beji Caid Essebsi, a major player in the country’s transition to democracy since 2011, was taken to a military hospital on Thursday after suffering a “severe health crisis”, the presidency said.
Tunisia’s 92-year-old president, Beji Caid Essebsi, a major player in the country’s transition to democracy since 2011, was taken to a military hospital on Thursday after suffering a “severe health crisis”, the presidency said.
One of Essebsi’s advisers said the leader he was in a “very critical” condition.
Prime Minister Youssef Chahed said on Facebook that Essebsi was receiving the attention he needed and that people should stop spreading fake news about his condition, after some reports said the president had died.
The presidency said in a new statement that “his condition now is stable and he is under the necessary checks”.
“He is doing better but at the same time the medical team is performing a set of tests” to provide greater reassurance, Garrach said.
She also confirmed that the president was conscious, but tired.
The elderly head of state was hospitalised last week for what the presidency described as “non-serious” treatment.
Essebsi has been a prominent figure in Tunisia since the overthrow of Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, which was followed by uprisings against autocratic leaders across the Middle East, including in nearby Libya and Egypt.
Tunisia set itself on a path to democracy without much of the violence seen elsewhere, although it has been the target of militant Islamists over the years.
Parliamentary elections are expected to be held on Oct. 6 with a presidential vote following on Nov. 17. Essebsi has said he will not run.
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