Tunisia only has enough gasoline for a week, a senior union official said on Monday, but the energy minister said a new tanker was unloading and the large queues at gas stations had been caused by a rush of consumers hoarding supply.
Long lines of cars have blocked roads waiting to refuel around Tunis in recent days, in what government critics see as another sign of the public finance crisis.
The tanker which is unloading in Bizerte will give Tunisia a few extra days of supply, bringing the total to 10-14 days, compared to the usual 60 days of strategic reserves, said Salouan Smiri, a senior section official. oil from the UGTT union.
Tunisia is already facing shortages of some subsidized goods, with empty supermarket shelves sparking protests last month as it seeks an international bailout to fund debt repayments and state spending.
“The fuel supply shortage could resume if the state does not find enough cash to pay the upcoming charges,” Smiri said on Shems FM radio.
The government has repeatedly denied it is struggling to pay importers for the goods – such as petrol, flour and sugar – which it sells at a subsidized rate, and has previously blamed the shortages on speculators internal.
However, while Energy Minister Naila Nouira blamed the shortage on consumer behavior and global distribution issues, she also appeared to acknowledge that payments to importers were contributing to supply snags.
“The reason for the fuel shortage is the rush of people…many Tunisians are taking more than they need,” she told Mosaique FM radio.
“There is financial pressure due to the immediate rate of payment that sellers are asking for,” she added.
Last week, ratings agency Moody’s said Tunisia faced large fiscal and external imbalances, and elevated funding risks, representing significant credit weakness.
The government hopes soon to finalize a staff-level deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a rescue package involving potentially unpopular reforms that could unlock additional bilateral fiscal support.
