Tunisian President Kais Saied announced on the night of Saturday to Sunday the appointment “as soon as possible” of a new government and spoke of an upcoming reform of the Constitution, during a walkabout in Tunis.
A new government will be “formed as soon as possible” after “selection of the most honest personalities,” said Mr. Saied, on Wataniya and Sky News Arabia televisions, after having strolled, under guard, on Bourguiba avenue which crosses the heart of the capital.
On July 25, Saied sacked the Prime Minister, suspended the activities of Parliament, and also arrogated to himself the judiciary, for a renewable month before extending these measures on August 24, “until further notice”.
Saturday evening, he did not give a precise date for the formation of the government, adding: “we are continuing the search for personalities who will assume this responsibility”.
President Saied also referred to the 2014 Constitution, saying that he “respects it but that we can introduce amendments to the text”. According to him, “the Tunisian people have rejected the Constitution” and “the Constitutions are not eternal”.
In his view, therefore, it is necessary to “amend while respecting the Constitution”, while keeping in mind that “sovereignty belongs to the people”.
In recent days, many media have speculated on the forthcoming announcement of a provisional government followed by a revision of the Constitution than to be submitted to universal suffrage via a referendum, before new legislative elections.
On the images broadcast on the presidency’s Facebook page, we see the Head of State walking on Avenue Bourguiba, acclaimed by the crowd who sings the national anthem, before stopping in front of the microphones of the television channels.
UGTT and Ennahdha
Legal theorist and teacher, Kais Saied has been presenting himself since his surprise election by a large majority at the end of 2019 as the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution.
It relied on its article 80 which envisages exceptional measures in the event of “imminent danger” to national security, to justify the decisions taken more than a month and a half ago.
Many Tunisians welcomed them with enthusiasm because, exasperated by their political class, they expect strong acts against corruption and impunity in a country in serious social and economic difficulties.
But opponents, political parties, magistrates, and lawyers said they feared an “authoritarian drift”.
Several major political parties expressed their opposition to the president’s plans in advance on Saturday.
The powerful UGTT trade union center called for early legislative elections for a new Parliament to be seized with a reform of the Constitution.
The Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, which had the most seats in the parliament frozen by Mr. Saied, expressed “its categorical rejection” of “any suspension of the application of the Constitution” or “change of the political system, possibly via a referendum”.
Illustration of the persistent social unrest, a 35-year-old man killed himself on Saturday in the center of Tunis, setting himself on fire, a week after the identical suicide of a 26-year-old youngster, who had been injured during the Tunisian Revolution of 2011.
According to Tunisian media, the man was from Djerba and had come to Tunis to find a solution to serious economic problems.
These gestures are reminiscent of that of the itinerant vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, at the origin of massive demonstrations and the fall in 2011 of the regime of President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.
