Tunisia’s 92-year-old president, Beji Caid Essebsi, has died, the presidency said in a statement on Thursday.
Essebsi was taken to a military hospital on Wednesday.
Essebsi, the country’s first democratically elected president, came to power in 2014, three years after the Arab Spring uprising toppled longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and sparked revolts in several Arab nations.
After the overthrow of Ben Ali, Essebsi led the immediate transition as prime minister in 2011. Essebsi had also been a senior figure before 2011, having served as foreign minister under state founder Habib Bourguiba and parliamentary speaker under Ben Ali.
Tunisia has been hailed as the only democratic success of the Arab Spring uprisings against dictatorship, with a new constitution and free elections in 2011 and 2014. Under a new constitution guaranteeing democratic freedoms, Essebsi has limited powers compared with Ben Ali, and he is mainly responsible for foreign and defense policies.
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