Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Tunisians Back New Constitution, But with Low Turnout - Tasnim News Agency

A new Tunisian constitution that the opposition warns may dismantle the country's democracy by greatly expanding presidential powers is set to take effect after a referendum on Monday that appeared to pass easily but with low turnout.

President Kais Saied ousted the parliament last year and moved to rule by decree, saying the country needed saving from years of paralysis as he rewrote the democratic constitution introduced after Tunisia's 2011 'Arab spring' revolution, Reuters reported.

Opposition parties boycotted the referendum, accusing Saied of a coup and saying the new constitution he published less than a month ago augurs a slide back towards autocracy.

The new constitution gives the president power over both the government and judiciary while removing checks on his authority and weakening the parliament.

Tunisia meanwhile faces a looming economic crisis and is seeking an International Monetary Fund (IMF) rescue package - issues that have preoccupied ordinary people far more over the past year than the political crisis.

There was no minimum level of participation for the measure to pass and the electoral commission put preliminary turnout at only 27.5%.

Soon after an exit poll was published by Sigma Conseil indicating a 'yes' vote of 92.3%, hundreds of Saied supporters flocked to the central Habib Bourguiba Avenue to celebrate.

"Sovereignty is for the people", "The people want to purify the country" they chanted, dismissing concerns over a return to autocracy.

"We're not afraid of anything. Only the corrupt and the officials who looted the state will be afraid," said Noura bin Ayad, a 46-year-old woman carrying a Tunisian flag.

Saied's initial moves against the parliament last year appeared hugely popular with Tunisians, as thousands flooded the streets to support him, venting fury at the political parties they blamed for years of misgovernance and decline.

1 comment:

  1. The Tunisian National Salvation Front on Tuesday called on President Kais Saied to step down and pave the way for early general elections in the country.

    The major opposition coalition said in a statement that Saied failed to "obtain popular endorsement for his coup project" and thus lost justification to remain in power.

    The statement added that 75% of Tunisian registered voters did not vote in Monday's referendum on Saied's proposed constitution.

    The director of the polling institute Sigma Conseil said only 25% of voters took part in the July 25 referendum on the new constitution.

    Hassan Zargouni, speaking on Tunisian public television, said 92.3 % of participants voted in favor of the draft constitution.

    The country's electoral board, however, said the voter turnout was 27.5% of the eligible voters.

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