A Tunisian army tank on standby behind the closed gates of the Assembly of People’s Representatives (Parliament) in Tunisia – (photo: Yassin Mahjub / AFP)
The birthplace of the Arab Spring, a revolutionary movement that has opposed and overthrew dictatorships in North Africa and the Middle East, sees the erosion of democracy ten years after the overthrow of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. Heichem Mecici and the suspension of the Assembly of People’s Representatives (Parliament), Tunisian President Kais Sayed fired the Ministers of Defense (Ibrahim Bartaji) and Justice (Hasna Ben Slimane) and imposed a curfew from 19:00 to 6:00 (from 15:00 to 2: 00 GMT) until August 27. – an attempt to slow down covid-19. He also announced that he would take over executive power “with the help of the government,” which gives him the prerogative to appoint ministers.
Supporters of the Ennahda movement, the Islamic political party that controlled parliament, clashed with Syed’s supporters. Police raided the offices of the Qatari TV channel Al-Jazeera in Tunisia and expelled the journalists. Last night Mecici broke his silence and acknowledged his willingness to hand over the work. “I guarantee the transfer of powers to the leader, who is appointed by the president of the republic,” he said, explaining that he did not intend to be “an alarming element”.
Syed guarantees that he acted in a lawful manner, citing article 80 of the Constitution, which is valid for 30 days and is subject to renewal. According to this article, “in the event of an imminent danger to the institutions of the nation, the security and independence of the country, which could harm the normal functioning of public authorities, the President of the Republic may take the measures required by this exceptional situation, after consultation with the head of government and the chairman of the Assembly of People’s Representatives and after informing the chairman of the Constitutional Court ”. The controversy is that the prime minister was not warned.
The international community reacted with concern to what political scientists have described as an “unauthorized coup.” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called the President of Tunisia and urged him to “adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights, which are the basis of governance in Tunisia.” “The Secretary called on President Said to maintain an open dialogue with all politicians and the people of Tunisia and noted that the United States will continue to monitor the situation,” the Washington Foreign Office said in a statement. France called on “to return to the normal functioning of institutions as soon as possible.” In turn, Turkey, an ally of the Ennahd movement, demanded the restoration of “democratic legitimacy”, and Germany ordered “to restore constitutional order as soon as possible.”
Disagreements
Tunisian-based political analyst Mohamed-Diya Hammami told Correio that the removal of power and the concentration of power by the president constituted an “unauthorized coup.” “Regarding the legality of his recent actions, we see several disagreements on the part of constitutional lawyers who do not consider Kais Syed’s interpretation of Article 80 of the Constitution to be something correct and adequate,” he explained. “It is unclear what the next political maneuvers will be, since the president has removed the immunity of parliamentarians. I would not be surprised if politicians are investigated for corruption or even arrested. ”
Hammami finds it difficult to make any predictions about the development of the political crisis in the next few hours or days. “Tyranny is always dangerous,” he warned. “The situation here in Tunisia is very tense. This is the best way to describe recent events. There is a division between those who took to the streets to celebrate the decisions of Casa Sayed and those who support the Ennahda movement. Those who oppose the maneuver have not publicly reacted. “
Protests erupted in Tunisia over the economic crisis, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, before Said overthrew Mecici on Sunday and froze parliament. According to Hammami, the living standards of Tunisians have deteriorated in recent years, mainly due to economic policies adopted by governments and supported by international financial institutions and the European Union. “The president’s decisions were aimed at the offices of the Ennahda movement, which is considered to be responsible for the political and economic situation,” the expert said.
