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Tunisian President Kais Saied delivered his draft for a new constitution to the public on Friday after months of political turmoil. A referendum is expected to be held on July 25 to decide the document’s fate, and, according to some, the fate of the only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings. Tunisia’s 2014 constitution established a representative republic based on a parliamentary system, but Saied’s draft, if accepted by voters, would derail it.
Tunisia’s political crisis started on July 25, 2021, after rampant protests due to a poor coronavirus response, collapsing healthcare, economic decline, high unemployment and fewer state services. In response, Saied invoked emergency powers under article 80 of the constitution to remove the prime minister, and to suspend parliament for 30 days, parliamentary immunity and most of the constitution itself.
Saied has since tightened his grip on political power. He removed the minister of defence, the acting minister of justice, the CEO of Wataniya (Tunisia’s major national television channel) and members of government including former anti-corruption committee head Chawki Tabib. The president further eroded Tunisia’s political institutions by dismantling the constitutional commission, which reviews the constitutionality of laws, and suspending the constitution indefinitely in September.
Saied later announced a roadmap to guide the country out of political calamity on December 14, 2021. That map foresaw the amendment of the constitution, a referendum on the document in July 2022 and new parliamentary elections under a new electoral law that has yet to be passed. Alongside these moves, no presidential elections have been set or even hinted at by the president.
The dismantling of the country’s political institutions continued in 2022, as Saied dissolved the High Judicial Council in February and parliament, after…
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Source : france24
