While he pretends he is on a highway, the head of state continues to multiply the volte-face. He publishes a text, drafted unilaterally and without consultation, before deciding to amend it. He gives the order to put people in prison, in theatrical circumstances, before finally releasing them… Overwhelmed by a situation that escapes him, he often finds himself catching up with his own decisions and patching things up…
Yesterday evening, Friday, October 7, 2022, facing his head of government, the President of the Republic expressed his dissatisfaction with his new electoral code and announced the possibility of amending it. Object of this dissatisfaction, the problem of sponsorships which had however caused much talk at the time of the publication of the new code. During his interview with Najla Bouden yesterday, Kaïs Saïed emphasized the need to apply the law on an equal footing for all and to put an end to the phenomenon of manipulation of sponsorships linked to questionable money ” especially since it turned out that many of the members of the local councils did not conform to the role assigned to them,” reads the presidential statement.
The President of the Republic has, moreover, reaffirmed that if the current legislation in force does not achieve its objectives, the sacred national duty requires its amendment in order to put an end to this reprehensible phenomenon.
This electoral code, published in the Official Journal in its edition on September 15, 2022 , Kaïs Saïed had drawn it up himself, taking very little into consideration the recommendations made to him. The version sent to the Independent High Authority for the Elections was, moreover, different from the one that the Head of State decided to formalize and present to the Tunisians. Among the points that caused the most talk, especially Isie, that of sponsorships.
The vice-president of the electoral body, Maher Jedidi, had also specified that the number of sponsorships required had doubled in comparison with that mentioned in the draft presented to Isie. A question which “will represent a real problem, in practice, for constituencies abroad, in particular”.
The new law obliges legislative candidates to submit to Isie a summary of their electoral program, accompanied by a nominal list of 400 sponsors of voters residing in the constituency. Sponsorships must have a legalized signature. Sponsorships must meet the parity rule and the number of young people under 35 must not be less than 25%. A rule considered binding and which could open the door to the purchase of votes.
Witnesses had already reported attempts to buy sponsorships from Tunisian administrations. A drift that the Head of State points out in his speech yesterday where he evokes “a market where honor is sold and bought”.
But this is not the first time that the Head of State has decided to modify a text that he himself has drawn up. He did exactly the same thing when amending the 2014 constitution. At the time, he set up a commission responsible for drafting a new text before deciding to sweep aside the proposal that was made to him and to publish another one, his own.
Before being submitted to a referendum and voted for by 94.6% of voters at the ballot box, this Constitution was once again reviewed by the Head of State himself during the electoral campaign , in complete violation of the law.
Kaïs Saïed who, since his campaign for the 2019 presidential election, has always claimed that he will not deviate from the line he had set, continues to contradict himself. He had gone to war against the former Islamists in power, including Noureddine Bhiri, Rached Ghannouchi, Ali Laârayedh , Ridha Jaouadi , Mohamed Frikha , Mohamed Affes … After sometimes spectacular arrests or police custody for a few hours for some and a few days for the others, they were all released. All these cases have made pshiit and no charges have been brought against these people.
“ And then what else?! replied the constitutionalist Salsabil Klibi in reaction to yesterday’s presidential exit . Hichem Ajbouni, he commented by writing: “the summit of the absurd! » and calling Kaïs Saïed a « dressmaker-patchworker ». The leader of the Citizens Against the Coup d’Etat collective, Jaouhar Ben M’Barek, for his part, wrote: ” At the tailor Kaïs Saïed, all types of tailor-made sewing: constitutions, circulars, decisions, decrees… dress at the expense of the house ”. The deputy of Attayar, Hichem Ajbouni, also gave his opinion on the question. ” Mr. President, you have written a bespoke constitution, you have amended the electoral law to your liking, and you are weaving a costume for the country to your liking. Go for it ! So choose tailor-made deputies and save Tunisians the evil of sponsorships, legalization of signatures and democracy! “.
Kaïs Saïed does not seem to have mastered the plan he had set himself. Obliged to deviate from it or, sometimes even, to improvise, to retouch and patch up, he very often takes a jacket and proves to the Tunisians that he does a little anything…
