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In Pictures: Tunisia’s struggling economy

Taxi drivers, journalists, shopkeepers and others cope with a sclerotic economy three years after Ben Ali’s downfall.

Khlifa, a 31-year-old father of two, said he is coping with the bad economy by selling smuggled cigarettes. Many cannot afford to buy the cigarettes on sale in shops.

By Sophia Baraket

On the morning of January 14, 2011, thousands of Tunisians gathered in a mass protest against the autocratic regime of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, chanting: “Bread and water but no Ben Ali.”

Three years later, many Tunisians agree that living in the North African country has become more difficult, and few think the goals expressed by the “bread and water” slogan have been achieved.

Post-Ben Ali Tunisia has been marked by inflation and economic malaise. As a result, some have voiced their nostalgia for the Ben Ali era.

Riadh, a bric-a-brac seller in Tunis, borrows money to buy his merchandise. He has had to stop drinking and changed his eating habits and electricity and water consumption to save money.

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Abdelmajid has been working in the second-hand clothing market since he was 14. Second-hand clothing has become more popular among customers across the socioeconomic spectrum.

In the heart of Tunis, a few metres from the capital(***)s main avenue, the streets are strewn with rubbish. Pedestrians and drivers struggle to find their way through as they cope with the unbearable smell.

Dayssem, 24, has been working as a sales clerk for the past four years. Dayssem confessed that he has been dating fewer women and having a narrower social life because of economic pressure.

Aymen, a taxi driver, lives with his parents and said his expenses were mostly related to his vehicle. The 32-year-old explained that there were fewer customers now because people are afraid to go out at night. Before the revolution, he would work until 3am, but now goes home at around 9pm.

Sofiene Bel Haj worked as a consultant until the uprising, then became a journalist. In the first two years after the uprising, Sofiene had no financial problems. Recently, however, he has started to face more difficulties and is considering leaving the country in search of better opportunities.

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Tunisia(***)s 2011 election saw many parties promise that standards of living would be improved.

Henda Channeoui, a 30-year-old journalist and activist, struggles to manage her finances. She works for several publications but has a hard time making ends meet because freelancing brings in little income.

Anouar, 56, has been running his business for the past 25 years in the old medina of Tunis. He has had to change his spending habits in recent years, and rarely buys meat now.

Not everyone is unhappy, however. Habib, a 28-year-old parking attendant, said he makes a decent living and has nothing to complain about.