Title: Minister: More than 4 million Tunisians Below the Poverty Line

Tunisian Minister of Social Affairs Malek El Zahi noted today, Tuesday, that "the number of Tunisians living below the poverty line has exceeded four million." El Zahi stated, "The ministry has developed plans and programs to eliminate poverty, but this responsibility is not solely on the Ministry of Social Affairs; it is the role of all state institutions." He added, "The number of illiterates in Tunisia has reached around two million, with one million illiterates recorded in the last ten years alone," pointing out that "the unemployment rate has exceeded 20 percent, with 70 percent of that rate being university graduates."