The United States manifested itself this Thursday”concerned” with the process, which will begin soon, of drawing up a new Constitution and with the low electoral participation (30 percent) in the constitutional referendum on Monday, without questioning the results, yes.
The concern was expressed by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who, in a statement, urges the rapid approval of a new electoral law.inclusive” that facilitates the widest possible participation in the December legislative elections.
On Wednesday, opposition political sectors and civil society in Tunisia denounced the lack of transparency in the electoral process hours after the results were announced of the constitutional referendum in which an abstention rate of close to 70 percent was recorded.
According to the provisional results of this Monday’s referendum, the “yes” to the new Tunisian Constitution, which reinforces the prerogatives of the head of state, Kais Saied, was imposed with 94.6% of the votes, with a turnout that reached , according to initial data, 27.5%, figure later “corrected” to 30.5% of the approximately 9.2 million voters.
The constitutional referendum on July 25 in Tunisia was marked by low voter turnout. We share the concerns expressed by many Tunisians that the process of drafting the new constitution has limited the space for genuine debate, may weaken democracy and erode respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms” in the country, Blinken stressed.
For the US Secretary of State, it becomes “crucial” that the reform process be “inclusive and transparent” so that we can “start to restore the confidence of the millions of Tunisians” who did not participate in the referendum or opposed the new constitution.
Blinken recalled that Tunisia has been experiencing, since July of last year, an “alarming erosion” of democratic rules, “reversing many of the hard-earned gains” by the Tunisian people since 2011.
“The suspension of constitutional government, the consolidation of executive power and the weakening of independent institutions raised deep questions about Tunisia’s democratic path, both internally and externally,” he stressed.
“The United States has used and will continue to use every tool to support the Tunisian people in forming a democratic and accountable government that preserves space for free debate and dissent, protects human rights and freedoms for all, promotes prosperity in the long term, respect judicial independence and the rule of law,” he concluded.
The new Constitution, which according to experts establishes an “ultra-presidential” regime, will enter into force on August 29, once the appeal period has ended, and will replace the 2014 Constitution.
Tunisia, which was the cradle of the Arab Spring (2010), faces an economic crisis exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine — a country it relies on for its wheat imports — and has been highly polarized since Saied, democratically elected in 2019, assumed full power on July 25, 2021.
The President, irremovable, appoints the Head of Government and the ministers and can remove them as he deems appropriate, in addition to submitting legislative documents to parliament as a “priority.”
Source: Observadora
