President of Tunisia Kais Saied calls for the purification of institutions
The United States criticized Tunisia’s closure of a television station and urged it to follow a clear path to restore democratic rule.
On Wednesday, Tunisian security forces seized the equipment of the private “Zaytounia” channel, which is close to the Ennahda movement, claiming that it was broadcasting “outside the law,” according to the Audiovisual Communication Authority.
“We are concerned and disappointed by recent reports from Tunisia about attacks on freedom of the press and expression,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
Price called on the Tunisian government to “uphold its obligations to respect human rights as stipulated in the Tunisian constitution” and a decree issued by President Saied in September.
“We also urge the Tunisian president and the new prime minister to heed the call of the Tunisian people to lay out a clear roadmap to return to a transparent democratic process that includes civil society and the diverse political voices,” he added.
Demonstrations in support of the decisions of the Tunisian President
A call to purge and fight corruption
Tunisian President Said called for the purification of all institutions of corruption in response to the will of the people, while Prime Minister-designate Najla Bouden announced the imminent announcement of the formation of her government team.
On Thursday, the Tunisian presidency reported that President Said had dismissed the governor of the state of Gabes from his post.
During his meeting with the head of the Capital Market Authority in Tunisia, Saleh Al-Sayel, Saeed indicated that the ratings assigned to Tunisia by some rating agencies abroad should not be taken seriously, calling for a review of the elements on which these ratings are based.
And the presidency stated in its statement on Facebook: “The President of the Republic, Kais Saied, issued a presidential order to end the assignment of Mr. Mongi Thamer to the duties of the governor of the state of Gabes.”
Saeed added: “We deal with financial institutions, but they must also deal with us as a sovereign state… We are not in the position of the student, nor are they in the position of the teacher who assigns numbers as he pleases, based on a set of elements that he chooses.”
The president also sent a message abroad in which he said: “We will work within the framework of transparency and the application of the law to everyone, no matter who they are.”
The country’s economic and financial file was the most prominent concern of the Tunisian president, on Thursday, as he discussed with the governor of the Central Bank, Marwan Abbasi, the economic reforms that must be taken in parallel with the political reforms to achieve development, and Tunisia’s relations with international donor bodies in the coming period.
On Wednesday, official data showed a decline in Tunisia’s foreign exchange reserves by 9.5% in 9 months, and the Central Bank called for the necessity of mobilizing the largest possible external resources and avoiding cash financing, i.e. printing banknotes, because of this repercussions on the level of inflation, foreign exchange reserves and the exchange rate of the dinar.
This file will be one of the most important challenges facing the next government, whose Prime Minister-designate Boden announced the imminent announcement of its formation, during her meeting with President Saeed, to inform him of the progress of the ministerial formation consultations.
