Thousands of protestors came to the streets of Tunis on Saturday to oppose President Kais Saied’s request for a vote on a new constitution, which would consolidate his hold on power.
The rally was headed by Abir Moussi, the leader of the Free Constitutional Party, and mirrored rising resistance to Saied since he took executive authority last year, dismissing parliament and ruling by decree in what critics dubbed a coup.
Thousands marched from the capital’s Bab Souika Square to the Kasbah, carrying Tunisian flags.
In the face of a collapsing economy and worries of a public financing catastrophe, Saied is attempting to amend the constitution to grant the presidency additional powers. On July 25, he plans to hold a referendum on the new constitution.
Other opposition groups, notably the Ennahda Islamist party, have called for another rally on Sunday to oppose the referendum and Saied’s recent decisions, including as the sacking of dozens of judges and military trials for some lawmakers.
Supporters of the president argue that he is standing up to elite forces whose incompetence and corruption have consigned Tunisia to a decade of political gridlock and economic stagnation.
However, Tunisia’s main political parties have stated that they would boycott the vote, and the strong UGTT labor union, which launched a public sector strike on Thursday, has stated that it will not participate in discussions on the new constitution.
Sadok Belaid, the leader of Tunisia’s constitution committee, announced on Saturday that the new draft constitution will be handed over to the president on Monday.
Saied has formed a new electoral commission, calling into question the legitimacy of any vote.
Tunisians are famished, and the government’s finances are falling, yet Saied is unconcerned. He is solely interested in imposing his constitution, which the Tunisians will not accept. We call on the Tunisian political parties to start an inclusive, comprehensive dialogue to resolve the country’s issues. We also call on the United Nations to continue its commitment to support democratic institutions in Tunisia, and to provide support in response to constitutional crisis.