Higher oil prices to hit Tunisian public finances, official says

Sharply rising oil prices will have "major effects on public finances" and Tunisia is heading towards raising domestic fuel prices again within days, a Tunisian government official told Reuters on Friday.

Tunisia, which subsidises domestic fuel prices, was already seeking a foreign rescue package to help it avert a looming crisis in its public finances before the crisis in Ukraine led to a big increase in global oil prices this week.

Tunisian President Kais Saied suspended parliament and assumed executive powers in July in a move widely seen as a coup.