Tunisia parliament confronts water and electricity outage crisis

On July 27 the Assembly of Representatives of the People (ARP) held an urgent plenary session to address widespread water and electricity cuts that have affected several regions of Tunisia. Deputies criticised the government's silence and poor communication during the crisis, noting that outages have hurt vulnerable groups such as the elderly, sick and children, as well as merchants and industry.

Deputy Abderrazak Aouidat warned that the power interruptions were caused by a peak in consumption while production has not increased, adding that "Tunisia has installed no new electric turbine since 2019" and that the shift to renewable energy remains slow. Other MPs, including Nabil Hamedi, Riadh Bilal and Tarek Rebai, called the situation an indication of failed energy policy, uneven load‑shedding that spares affluent neighborhoods, and a loss of public trust. They urged the government to adopt a clear energy strategy, accelerate investment in new generation capacity, and improve transparency with citizens.

The debate reflects growing public frustration over essential service reliability and highlights the need for reforms in Tunisia’s energy and water sectors.