Tunisian president Kais Saied takes most powers in proposed constitution

• The President of Tunisia, Kais Saied, presented a proposed new constitution on Thursday that he will put to a referendum next month.
• Voters will be asked to accept the new constitution in a referendum with no participation requirements.
• Most political parties have already opposed the measure and asked their followers to skip the vote.

TUNIS: The president of Tunisia, Kais Saied, presented a proposed new constitution on Thursday, that he will put to a referendum next month, boosting his personal powers and restricting parliament’s role in a poll that most political parties have already opposed.

Kais Saied has ruled by decree since the summer of 2014 when he overthrew the parliament and the democratic constitution of 2014 in what his opponents called a coup.

He moved toward one-man rule and promised to change the way the government works.

His actions this summer precipitated Tunisia’s worst political crisis since the 2011 revolution that toppled previous tyrant Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali and brought democracy to the country.

On July 25, voters will be asked to accept the new constitution in a referendum with no participation requirements.

Most of the political establishment is against what he’s doing, and they’ve asked their followers to skip the vote. So, pundits think that the bill will pass with few people voting on it.

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None of the major parties, notably the Islamist Ennahda, which is the largest party in parliament and has played a significant role in consecutive coalition governments since the revolution, immediately issued a statement regarding the proposed constitution.

In the meantime, many Tunisians are much more worried about the worsening economic crisis and the threat it poses to the government’s finances.

This has led to wage delays and the possibility of shortages of essential products that are paid for by the government.

Very few Tunisians participated in Saied’s online ‘consultation’ held from January to March in preparation for the writing of the constitution, which garnered limited attention.

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