President celebrates referendum victory despite less than a third of the census taking part, the worst figure in an election since the overthrow of Ben Ali in 2011
Eleven years after the overthrow of Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has backed away from its democratic transition to build an “ultra-presidential” system. Head of state Kais Saied saw his goal achieved on Tuesday by ensuring the ‘yes’ was imposed in Monday’s constitutional referendum. However, the result seemed devoid of legitimacy as 72.4% of the census abstained.
The turnout of 27.5%, the lowest since the fall of Ben Ali in 2011, didn’t stop Saied from celebrating the victory of a referendum that didn’t require a minimum number of voters. “Tunisia has entered a new phase, with a Magna Carta that will make it possible to move from a situation of hopelessness to a situation of hope,” he told a crowd as columns waved flags and honked their horns in the capital.
Although the final result has not been confirmed by the Higher Independent Elections Body, the director of the Sigma Conseil democracy institute, Hassen Zargouni, claimed that “between 92 and 93%” of voters approved the new constitution, which was promoted by the president. to equip with absolute powers.
The text breaks with the parliamentary system that has existed since 2014, puts the president at the head of the army, allows him to appoint a government without legal approval and makes it impossible to remove him.
The opposition coalition Front for National Salvation denounced that the referendum “does not reflect the vision of Tunisians and lacks legitimacy”. Saied considers it a “course correction” which he initiated in July 2021, when he suspended parliament on the grounds that the country was “ungovernable”.
Source: La Verdad
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
