TUNIS —
Hundreds of people protested Saturday in Tunis against a draft constitution put
forward by
President Kais Saied, demanding his resignation two days before
Tunisia votes on the disputed charter.
اضافة اعلان
The referendum will take place a year to the
day after Saied sacked the government and suspended parliament in a decisive
blow against the country’s often chaotic young democracy.
“Get out”, the demonstrators yelled as they
waved Tunisia’s red-and-white flag at a gathering on
Habib Bourguiba Avenue in
the capital.
“The people want the fall of Kais Saied; the
people want the fall of the constitution,” chanted those who rallied in
response to a call by the National Salvation Front opposition alliance.
Among the demonstrators, who numbered fewer
than 1,000, were elected officials of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, the
political rivals of Saied.
Tunisia is preparing to vote Monday on a
draft constitution that would enshrine the vast powers that Saied has exercised
since he sacked the government and suspended parliament on July 25 last year.
His move was seen as a decisive blow against
the crisis-ridden political system in Tunisia, and his rivals allege his
constitution aims to restore an autocracy.
“A year has passed and Saied has failed to
manage the country and present a clear vision,” Imed Khemiri, spokesman for
Ennahdha, told the crowd.
Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, a veteran opposition
figure, also addressed the gathering that was closely monitored by police.
“Saied will get a good slap on Monday because
the people will show him they’re not interested,” he said.
The new text aims to replace the mixed
presidential-parliamentary system enshrined in a 2014 constitution, which saw
Tunisia praised as the sole democracy to emerge from the 2011 Arab uprisings.
The leader of Saied’s “new republic” would
have ultimate executive power and would appoint a government without the need
for a confidence vote in parliament.
The president would also head the armed
forces and appoint judges, who would be banned from striking.
Opponents have called for a boycott of
Monday’s referendum, but while observers have predicted most Tunisians will
snub the poll, few doubt the charter will pass.
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