TUNIS – Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki has lifted a state of emergency, which has been enforced since the 2011 uprising that ousted autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, his office said Thursday.

“The president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces… issued a decree lifting the state of emergency in the whole country from Wednesday, March 5, 2014,” a statement said.

Tunisia has been rocked by sporadic attacks blamed on jihadists since the 2011 revolt that toppled a decades-old dictatorship and touched off uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East.

In November, Marzouki had extended the emergency rule for eight months until the end of June, meaning it has been lifted four months early.

“The lifting of the state of emergency does not limit the capacity of the security services to implement the law and does not preclude any request for military support should it be needed,” said the presidency.

This “will not bring about changes in the implementation of laws and policies in place in the country, including those concerning military operations areas and border buffer zones.”

Special military zones were established last year on Tunisia’s borders with Algeria and Libya, where the authorities say armed groups are active.

Two secular politicians have been assassinated in Tunisia over the past two years.