TUNIS: Opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied on Tuesday slammed his decision to extend a months-long suspension of parliament, accusing him of dealing another blow to the country’s nascent democracy.
Saied had on Monday evening ruled out walking back his move in the summer to sack the government, freeze the legislature and seize wide-ranging executive powers.
Speaking on television, the former constitutional law professor announced an 11-week “popular consultation” with the Tunisian people to produce “draft constitutional and other reforms” to be put to referendum on July 25 next year.
That will mark a year since his power grab, which came as the North African country wallowed in political and economic crises compounded by the coronavirus pandemic.
Saied had in October moved to rule by decree, escalating fears for the only democracy to have emerged from the 2011 Arab uprisings.
The president said on Monday that parliament would remain suspended until new elections on December 17 next year, the anniversary of the start of the revolution that chased dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from power.
That effectively dissolved the current assembly dominated by his nemesis, the Ennahdha party which had played a central role in Tunisian politics since Ben Ali’s fall.
While many Tunisians, tired of a parliament and political parties seen as dysfunctional and corrupt, welcomed Saied’s moves, he has also faced growing opposition in the form of street demonstrations and pressure from abroad.
The envoys of the G7 democratic, developed economies plus the European Union had urged Tunisia on Friday to respect “fundamental freedoms” and set a timeline for a return to democratic institutions.
Political analyst Slaheddine Jourchi said Saied had “tried to pull the rug from under his rivals’ feet by laying out a timeline”.
But he was “determined to push through his political project to the end” despite bitter opposition from political parties and pressure from world powers, Jourchi added.
On Tuesday, opponents lashed out at Saied, accusing him of seeking to extend his one-man rule and remake the political system without involving other actors.
Former MP Hichem Ajbouni wrote on Facebook that Saied’s speech boiled down to: “I am the state, I am the president, I am the government, I am the parliament, I am the judiciary — and everyone who opposes me is either hungry for power, a liar, a traitor, a thief, an agent, or ignorant.”
Saied had announced a nationwide consultation on constitutional reforms would be launched on January 1, via electronic platforms created for the purpose.
The proposals would then be examined by a committee of experts appointed by the president, before being put to referendum. – AFP
