Tunisia’s Saied just needs to stick to his plan

When Tunisia is mentioned in the Western media, it usually relates to July 25, 2021, when the people revolted against the Muslim Brotherhood party, Ennahda, for its incompetence, corruption and crimes against innocent Tunisians.

Back then, I wrote that President Kais Saied’s prompt response to the demands of his people by announcing strict corrective measures to end the structural chaos and prevent a possible civil war was admirable. Saied brought down the curtain on the last act of horrible players who used their religious slogan to steal a whole country. “There are serious challenges ahead as Tunisia seeks a new government to serve the people and lead the country away from the 10 years of turmoil under Ennahda,” my article read.

What has happened since then? And is Tunisia now better and safer than before? Certainly. Closing the doors in the face of the Muslim Brotherhood, which wreaked havoc and stole the state’s public wealth, was a positive step toward a brighter, secular future. But it is not enough.

Late last month, Tunisia entered a new phase in its volatile political scene when Saied issued a decree dissolving the parliament, which had been suspended since last year. The president’s decision was a response to an initiative by more than 100 members of the Tunisian parliament, who challenged the decision he took eight months ago to freeze its work.

Saied described their online parliamentary session and vote to consider his extraordinary measures decree null and void as a “failed coup attempt” and vowed to bring these deputies to justice for breaking the law. He reiterated in a taped speech his promise to prevent the abusers from continuing their aggression against his country. “I tell the Tunisian people: Feel safe and be assured that the state’s institutions are active and there is a nation ready to protect them from those who work as a group, not as a state,” he said.

The former law professor explained his decision based on Article 72 of the 2014 Tunisian Constitution, which states that “the president of the republic is the head of the state and the symbol of its unity, guarantees its independence and continuity, and ensures respect for the constitution.”

In January, Saied announced a political roadmap to end the crisis in the country, which included the formation of a committee to rewrite the constitution, hold a referendum on July 25 to approve it, and then organize parliamentary elections on Dec. 17.

If the Tunisian president is committed to his roadmap, the dissolution of the frozen parliament will not affect the reformed political path of this struggling North African country. However, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Ennahda, the largest political bloc in parliament, whose leader, Rached Ghannouchi, was the parliamentary speaker, will not accept being the biggest loser of this political maneuver. Ghannouchi strongly rejected the presidential decree, considering it a prelude to a general dismantling of the state and a new constitutional violation.

Closing the doors in the face of the Muslim Brotherhood was a positive step toward a brighter, secular future.

Dalia Al-Aqidi

On the other hand, the powerful Tunisian General Labor Union supports Saied’s measures, according to a statement issued last month, which gave the president greater confidence to continue moving forward.

“The dissolution of parliament is an opportunity to restore confidence and reassure the people in order to correct the course,” the union’s statement read, accusing what it described as the “influential parties in parliament” of bullying and dividing Tunisia with the support of foreign regimes.

Saied is preparing to launch a national dialogue, which he says will end the system that came after the fall of former President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, and the Muslim Brotherhood is not invited. “The national dialogue in Tunisia will not include those who wanted to overthrow the government, plundered the state’s resources and violently attempted to divide our people,” he stressed.

As the economy heads toward disaster and the country is on a political cliff edge, Saied has no option but to stay committed to his vow to end the era of Islamist political fascism and move Tunisia forward to build a democratic and free country.

Everyone who believes in freedom and human rights will come to the aid of the Tunisian people to prevent a historical catastrophe that may set them back hundreds of years. All that Saeid needs to do is stick to his plan.

• Dalia Al-Aqidi