DUBAI: Economic growth in Tunisia, cradle of the Arab Spring uprisings, is expected to gather pace on the back of political and security improvements, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday.
The economy of the North African nation grew by 2.7 percent in 2013, but is expected to expand by 3.0 percent this year, the IMF said in its April World Economic Outlook.
Growth in gross domestic product (GDP) should reach 4.5 percent in 2015, it said.
"Tunisian growth is expected to strengthen, spurred by improved confidence from a new constitution, reduced security tensions, and pre-election reforms," the IMF said.
Tunisia's central bank said last month that economic growth slowed in 2013 to 2.6 percent from 3.6 percent in 2012, citing negative political and security factors.
Since the 2011 uprising that ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has been hit by sporadic violence linked to radical Islamists, who were blamed for the assassinations last year of two secular politicians.
The killings plunged the country into political turmoil and eventually forced the government led by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party to resign.
A new constitution was adopted in January and a new government was formed to organise fresh elections before the end of the year.
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