Five months after the establishment of an exceptional regime, the head of state unveils an electoral calendar, supposed to lead to legislative laws in December of next year, while extending the freeze of the current Parliament.
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Nearly five months after his coup with an exception in the cradle of the “Arab Spring”, the Tunisian president, Kaïs Saïed, unveiled an electoral calendar, Monday, December 13. The head of state, former teacher in constitutional law, elected in 2019, thanks to an antisystem vote, announced the extension of the freeze of Parliament until the legislative elections fixed on December 17, 2022, which will be held on The basis of a new electoral law. In July, a referendum on constitutional reforms should be preceded by a “popular national consultation through an electronic platform”, during the first quarter.
Tunisia lived, since July 25, under the “exceptional measures”, decreed by the Head of State, in order to face a health and political crisis that represented in his eyes an “imminent danger” . He had cleared the head of government and suspended the work of Parliament. The vast majority of public opinion, tired of the political class, had supported it. The blur period that followed, and in particular the presidential decree of 22 September under which Mr Saïed had granted the full powers, made a fear of an authoritarian derive.
New ads do not get up all questions. They do not provide for democratic crazy guardrail, since Parliament – elected in 2019 – has been definitively set aside. In addition, presidential decisions are not subject to any recourse. Sign of time, Mr. Saïed’s speech occurs a few days before the eleventh anniversary of the Tunisian revolution, now set on December 17 and no longer on January 14th. A symbolic change at the initiative of Mr. Saïed, who is thus faithful to his rhetoric, according to which the revolutionary process began during the immolation in Sidi Bouzid of Mohamed Bouazizi (December 17, 2010) and allegedly aborted during the Fall of the former Zine El-Abidine autocrate Ben Ali (January 14, 2011).
Instead of betting on this new anniversary date – his team had promised “important ads” on this occasion – he preferred a speech upstream, Monday night, to “cut the grass under his detractors “, According to the Researcher in Political Science Mohamed-Dhia Hammami, while he faces a growing opposition from the political class. The reactions of parties and unions to his speech were waiting on Monday night.
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