Commenting on the referendum on the country’s new constitution, the leader of the Tunisian Ennahda party, Rached Ghannouchi, stressed that “the path that Tunisian President Kais Syed is following in Tunisia is blocked, and anyone who thinks that 10 years of freedom can be reversed is nonsense.” Pointing out that “the referendum on the new constitution is a farce, and what is built on lies is a lie, and we call for a boycott of it.”

On Monday, the Tunisian president received a draft of a new constitution from the head of the Constitutional Committee, Sadiq Belaid, according to the Tunisian president, noting that Said stressed during the meeting “that the draft constitution is not final and that some of its chapters are subject to revision and further thought.” The new constitution will be put to a referendum on July 25, despite widespread opposition from the opposition.

The move comes after protests against a constitutional referendum called by Syed that his opponents say would solidify his grip on power. As Sayed’s supporters point out that he is dealing with an elite whose corruption and incompetence has plunged Tunisia into a decade of political paralysis and economic stagnation, the mainstream political parties have announced they will boycott the referendum.