Tunisia’s Saied wants to make the central bank fill the budget deficit

Tunisian President Kais Saied speaks at the new government's swearing-in at Carthage Palace outside the capital, Tunis, on February 27, 2020 [File: Fethi Belaid/Pool via AP]

Tunisian President Kais Saied is preparing to seek direct financing for the government’s budget from the Central Bank of Tunisia in a move analysts say could worsen the financial difficulties the country has been experiencing since before its 2011 revolution.

Shortfalls in the budget have already resulted in the absence of state-subsidised goods like flour, rice and coffee from supermarket shelves as inflation pushes the prices of other goods beyond the reach of many households.