Tunisia: thousands of people demonstrate in support of the government reorganization

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In the Tunisian capital, thousands of people, mostly supporters of the Islamist Ennahda party, took to the streets to express their support for Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, who has a dispute with the country’s president, Kais Saied, over his refusal to reorganization plan in the Government in January. The situation, which lasts for six weeks, aggravated the economic and social crisis that the country was suffering and that increased during the Covid-19 pandemic

According to the EFE news agency, arriving in various buses from all over the country and paid for by the Ennahda party, various people gathered in the city of Tunis, capital of the country, to demonstrate in favor of “national unity” and “political stability”.

“We are here to send a message to the anarchists: we want dignity and freedom, that Tunisia lives in peace. We do not want to return to where we were. To those who call for injustice, a coup and destruction, we are here to say no “said Mahmoud Ghazoani, a protester who arrived in the capital from Tataouine, 600 kilometers south of Tunisia.

The demonstrations registered on February 27 occurred despite preventive measures against Covid-19 that, among other things, prohibit public meetings and movements between regions.

According to the Reuters news agency, the recorded demonstration has been one of the largest gatherings in the country since the 2011 revolution. Ennahda’s supporters marched under the slogans “The people want to protect the institutions!” and “The people want national unity!”

“We have a parliamentary system and it is not up to the president to decide who governs (…) We must respect democracy and the constitution,” said Mohamed Khlif, another of the protesters who traveled from the coastal city of Sfax.

The reorganization in the Government prompted disputes in the Executive

The political crisis in Tunisia dates back to January 2021, when the Ennahda and Qalb Tounes parties promoted a reorganization in the government led by Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi.

The Tunisian Parliament, with a majority of Ennahda members, including its founder and President of Congress, Rached Ghannouchi, approved the appointment of 11 new ministers out of the 25 existing portfolios.

However, President Saied criticized the appointment on the grounds that he was not previously consulted and that some of the new ministers were suspected of corruption and unfit for government positions due to conflicts of interest.

Reuters notes that Saied, an independent politician and constitutional law expert, believes that the reorganization seeks to leave him without allies by replacing them with supporters of Ennahda and Qalb Tounes.

“I will not retract my principles. I swear before God by putting my hand on the Quran to respect the Constitution,” Saied said in early February. Among the ministers not sworn in by Saied are the holders of the Interior, Justice and Health.

The dispute has left the government paralyzed and comes amidst the social and economic difficulties derived from the Covid-19 pandemic.

A report presented by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on February 26, it revealed that the pandemic “is exacerbating Tunisia’s socio-economic fragility, leading the country into an unprecedented economic recession.” According to the text, the Tunisian economy contracted by 8.2% in 2020.

The multilateral organization also made a series of recommendations, including limits on energy subsidies and a reduction in the wage bill.

To cope with the situation, the country’s budget for 2021 foresees borrowing needs in the order of 7.2 billion dollars, including 5 billion dollars in foreign loans.

However, due to the political crisis, the risk rating agency ‘Moody’s’ downgraded Tunisia, which makes it difficult for the nation to access international credits.

In Tunisia, the political conflict has lasted for six weeks and the only competent institution to put an end to this type of tirade is the Constitutional Court, whose creation has been pending since 2015.

With Reuters, EFE and AFP

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source https://pledgetimes.com/tunisia-thousands-of-people-demonstrate-in-support-of-the-government-reorganization/