Several opposition parties say they do not recognize the results and charge Saied and the electoral commission
July 27 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The European Union (EU) has stated this Wednesday that it “takes note” of the results of the constitutional referendum held in Tunisia, where the ‘yes’ has been overwhelmingly imposed amid the call for a boycott by the opposition in denunciation of drift authoritarian of the president, Kais Saied, while he has advocated for a “consensus” in the country to “preserve democratic progress” in the African country.
The High Representative of the EU for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, has highlighted in a statement the “low” turnout in the vote, around 28 percent, before defending that “a broad consensus among the political forces, including political parties and civil society, is essential for the success of a process that preserves democratic gains and is necessary for all the major political and economic reforms that Tunisia will carry out”.
“The legitimacy and sustainability of these reforms will depend on it”, pointed out Borrell, who has indicated that “the preparations for the parliamentary elections scheduled for December must be seen as an opportunity to promote a genuine exchange within the framework of a dialogue inclusive national. “As the EU and the Venice Commission have repeatedly said, this dialogue will be an important condition for establishing a legislative framework that guarantees the legitimacy and representativeness of the future Parliament,” he said.
Along these lines, he argued that “the election of Parliament will be a key pillar for the return to normal functioning of the country’s institutions, with full respect for democratic principles, in particular the separation of powers, the consolidation of the State of Law, pluralism and respect for Human Rights and fundamental freedoms”.
Saied announced in July 2021 the dissolution of the Hichem Mechichi government and suspended Parliament -later dissolved-, a movement with which he arrogated all powers and began to rule by decree. The opposition, including the Islamist Ennahda party – which had the majority in the legislature – has denounced an “institutional coup d’état”.
Borrell has emphasized that “freedom of expression, press and demonstration, as well as other fundamental freedoms, are essential values of democratic states, to which the EU attaches particular importance and which must be preserved”, he has pointed out, while which has stressed that the bloc “will closely follow events” and “will remain at the side of the Tunisian people, listening to their needs at this crucial moment for the country”.
“The EU reaffirms that it is ready and open to provide political support for a successful democratic transition. It will also continue to support the Tunisian people as it responds to the great socio-economic and financial challenges facing the country, aggravated by the impact of the aggression Russia against Ukraine on food and energy security and that urgently require structural reforms,” he concluded.
For his part, the spokesman for the US State Department, Ned Price, pointed out that “the referendum was marked by low turnout” and recalled that “a wide range of civil society, the media and political parties have expressed deep concerns about the referendum”.
“In particular, we note widespread concerns among Tunisians about the absence of an inclusive and transparent process and the limited public debate during the drafting of the new Constitution,” he argued, before highlighting “concerns” about “a weakening of counterweight systems that would protect human rights and fundamental freedoms”.
For this reason, Price has stated that “with legislative elections scheduled for the end of the year – called by Saied himself within the framework of his ‘road map’ after taking over all the powers -, the United States continues to underline the importance of respect the separation of powers and an inclusive and transparent electoral law that allows broad participation in the elections”.
REJECTION OF THE RESULTS
During the day this Wednesday, the general secretaries of the Democratic Current, the Republican Party, the Workers’ Party and Ettekatol, Ghazi Chauachi, Isam Chebi, Hama Hamami and Jalil Zauia, respectively, have rejected the results, which have resulted in 94.6 percent of the votes in favor of ‘yes’. These parties are integrated into the National Campaign against the Referendum.
“We have witnessed a scandal that consists of the modification of the draft Constitution by Saied that has advanced the errors. He should have suspended the referendum process,” said Chauachi, after the president of the committee in charge of drafting the Magna Carta, denounced that the text delivered to the president was not the same as the one published later to be put to the vote.
Likewise, he has accused the electoral commission of “complicity” with Saied and has denounced that “national television has become a propaganda tool for Saied and his referendum”. The Independent Superior Body for Elections (ISIE) has supported Saied and his accomplices to denigrate all those who oppose him,” he lamented.
Chebi has also highlighted that 75 percent of the population has refused to vote and has criticized that the president himself violated electoral regulations by giving a speech during voting day asking the population to go to the polls. “ISIE maintains a reckless stance, despite the fact that the intervention was broadcast live on national television,” he has said.
Along these lines, Hamami has accused Saied of falsifying the election results. “We are facing a political and social catastrophe,” he said, according to the Tunisian radio station Mosaique FM. For its part, Zauia has denounced that the country is returning to the starting point since the 2011 overthrow of the Zine el Abidine ben Ali regime, with votes “without credibility”.
In contrast, the ISIE has rejected the criticism and has argued that the recount process was carried out in line with Tunisian law. “The ISIE specifies that the figures announced are fair and that all the details related to the vote have been made public just after the announcement of the preliminary results. The errors have been corrected,” he stressed.
The draft of the Magna Carta brings together most of the powers around the Presidency and reduces the power of Parliament. The new document will replace the Magna Carta approved in 2014 following the overthrow of Ben Ali in the framework of a massive wave of popular protests in what is known as the ‘Arab Spring’.
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