The powerful Tunisian trade union center, the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), which was very advanced during the revolution, warned on Wednesday against “chaos in the country”, stressing that it would not accept a national dialogue to which political parties and civil society organizations would not take part.
The firm message is addressed to Kaïs Saïed, the Tunisian head of state accused of having neutralized the country’s constitutional institutions by assuming almost all powers.
The warning given by the Secretary-General of the UGTT, Noureddine Taboubi, came after the meeting of the leaders of the trade union center with a committee of the European Parliament which is currently consulting on the political crisis in Tunisia. “We want inclusive participation in the national dialogue, with a National Charter on which Tunisians would be unanimous,” reiterated the boss of the UGTT.
He warned that the trade union center does not accept the proposal to take the electronic national consultation (initiated by the President of the Republic Kaïs Saïed) as a reference to launch the national dialogue.
The Tunisian head of state had launched, in mid-January, an electronic national consultation aimed at “strengthening the participation of citizens in the process of democratic transition”, which continued until March 20. The results of the consultation showed the participation of almost half a million people, and the wish of 86.4% of the participants to move to a presidential system in the country.
