13 August 2018•Update: 13 August 2018
TUNIS
Tunisian President Caid Essebsi on Monday announced his intention to introduce draft legislation aimed at guaranteeing inheritance equality for women.
Essebsi made the announcement during an address he delivered to mark the occasion of Tunisia’s National Women’s Day.
According to Essebsi, citizens should have the right to choose constitutional provisions or Islamic Sharia Law when dealing with issues related to inheritance.
“The president of the state is a leader for everybody; his duty is to unify [the people],” he said.
“We hope this bill will find consensus in parliament,” he added.
Islamic Law lays down clear rules for inheritance, which some critics say unfairly favors men over women.
Reporting by Adel al-Thabti: Writing by Mahmoud Barakat
