TUNIS, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Following the death of President Beji Caid Essebsi on Thursday morning, Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed decreed on the same day seven days of national mourning in addition to the half-masting of the Tunisian flag in public institutions.
The government has also decided to cancel all artistic performances and other cultural events across Tunisia, according to a statement from the government presidency.
In a short statement to the media, Chahed called on his compatriots to unite to serve the supreme interest of Tunisia.
"Tunisia loses an honest national, a statesman who gave himself and his life to national action," said the Tunisian prime minister on his official account of the social media Facebook.
"I had the honor of working with him in this sensitive phase of the history of our country," Chahed noted, adding that Essebsi had played a crucial role in the success of the democratic process in Tunisia.
At the age of 92, Essebsi died Thursday at a military hospital in the capital Tunis.
