2022 Tunisian constitutional referendum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Politics of Tunisia
Coat of arms of Tunisia.svg
Constitution
Executive
Legislature
Judiciary
Elections
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations
Africa (orthographic projection).svg Africa portal
A coloured voting box.svg Politics portal
  • Other countries
  • v
  • t

A constitutional referendum is scheduled to be held in Tunisia on 25 July 2022.[1]

Background[]

Main article: 2021 Tunisian political crisis

The crisis began on 25 July 2021, after President Kais Saied announced the dismissal of the government and the freezing of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People. The president's decisions were denounced by human rights organizations and considered by several foreign media outlets and Tunisian political entities as a self-coup.[2][3][4][5] The decisions came after a series of protests against Ennahda, economic difficulties, and a significant rise in COVID-19 cases in Tunisia, which led to the collapse of the Tunisian health system.[6]

On the day of the dismissal, Speaker and Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi said the president's actions were an attack on democracy and called on his supporters to take to the streets to oppose it. Protests erupted in Tunisia in support of and opposition to the decisions of President Saied.[7] Saied issued a decision imposing a month-long curfew, starting from 26 July from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m..[8] After the 30-day period expired, the President issued a decision on 24 August 2021 to extend the period of “extraordinary measures” he had announced a month before "until further notice."[9]

By autumn the crisis had escalated.[10] In October 2021, Najla Bouden was appointed Prime Minister, making her the first female prime minister both in Tunisia and the Arab world. She formed a new government to deal with the turbulent economic crisis.[11]

On 13 December Saied announced that a constitutional referendum would take place, stating "we want to correct the paths of the revolution and history." He also said that he would appoint a committee of experts to draft a new constitution, to be ready by June ahead of the referendum.[12]

References[]

  1. ^ "Tunisian president announces constitutional referendum, sets new election date". France 24. 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  2. ^ Tunisia’s president launched a political crisis. Is it a coup?, Washington Post, July 29, 2021.
  3. ^ Kais Saied’s power grab in Tunisia, Brookings, July 26, 2021.
  4. ^ Saied's Textbook Self-Coup in Tunisia, DAWN MENA, August 2, 2021.
  5. ^ Political parties decry Tunisia ‘coup’ as crowds celebrate on street, TRT World, July 26, 2021.
  6. ^ Amara, Tarek; Mcdowall, Angus (2021-07-26). "Tunisian democracy in turmoil after president sacks government". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
  7. ^ "Tunisia's president fires prime minister, dismisses government, freezes parliament". Washington Post. 2021-07-25. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
  8. ^ Yee, Vivian (2021-07-26). "Tunisia's Democracy Verges on Collapse as President Moves to Take Control". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
  9. ^ "Tunisia: President extends suspension of parliament". Deutsche Welle. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  10. ^ "In Pictures: Mass protest as Tunisia political crisis escalates". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  11. ^ "Najla Bouden: what next for Tunisia's first female PM?". the Guardian. 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  12. ^ "Tunisia's president calls constitutional referendum followed by elections in 2022". The Guardian. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
Retrieved from ""