Tunisia’s Leader Takes Hard Line on Austerity in IMF Faceoff

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied used a rare meeting with the International Monetary Fund’s chief to stake out his opposition to spending cuts and policy changes necessary to secure a bailout from the lender despite his country’s dire finances.

At talks held late on Thursday with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Saied “made it clear” that the fund’s “prescriptions to provide financial support to Tunisia are unacceptable because it would affect civil peace, which is priceless,” his cabinet said in a statement.