Essebsi – who served as the head of state from December 2014 – has been widely credited with helping to guide Tunisia’s transition to democracy following the 2011 revolution.
The 92-year-old was the world’s oldest sitting president. He was admitted into hospital on Wednesday but health officials did not say what was ailing him. His death was attributed to a severe health crisis.
Following his death, the Tunisian government declared seven days of national mourning, with nearby Algeria and Mauritania also honoring the late president by declaring three days of mourning.
Among those who attended Essebsi’s funeral include Algerian President Abdelkader Ben Saleh, Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, along with thousands of Tunisians.
The North African country is expected to hold snap elections on September 15 to replace Essebsi.
The speaker of parliament, Mohamed Ennaceur, will be in charge as interim president until a new leader is elected.
Essebsi was a former lawyer who studied and trained in Paris, France.
Before being elected president, he served as interior minister and speaker of parliament.
He rose to prominence after former Tunisian President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali was ousted in 2011 after 23 years in office.
