The Tunisian president plans to change the political system, suspend the constitution, advise

TUNIS, Sept 9 (Reuters) – Tunisian President Kais Saied plans to suspend the constitution and amend the political system in a referendum, one of his advisers told Reuters on Thursday in the first clear indication of his plans after the moves that his critics have called for a coup.

More than six weeks after Saied took over government powers, ousted the prime minister and suspended parliament on July 25, he has not yet appointed a new government or made a broader statement of his long-term intentions.

“This system cannot continue … changing the system means changing the constitution through a referendum, perhaps … the referendum requires logistical preparation,” said Walid Hajjem, Saied’s adviser.

He added that this was the president’s plan, which was in the final stages and was expected to be formally announced soon, but did not expand on the changes Saied was contemplating.

Saied’s intervention has propelled Tunisia to a constitutional crisis and has raised concerns about the future of the democratic system it adopted after the 2011 revolution that led to the Arab Spring.

Saied was expected to move to a system of presidential government that would reduce the role of parliament, something that has been frequently discussed for years of blockade since the 2014 constitution was agreed.

He has defended his movements properly and said they are in line with the constitution, has promised to respect the rights of Tunisians and has said he will not become a dictator.

However, the arrests of members of parliament after Saied withdrew their immunity and numerous travel bans against prominent people have alarmed some human rights defenders.

NEW GOVERNMENT

Both national and international forces have pressured Saied to appoint a government and show how it wants to emerge from the constitutional crisis caused by its intervention.

The head of Tunisia’s human rights league was quoted as saying in a Tunisian newspaper on Thursday that Saied had informed him that a new government would be appointed this week.

Tunisia is facing serious economic problems and a threat posed to public finances and had just begun talks with the International Monetary Fund for a new loan program when Saied ousted the prime minister.

Any further IMF talks could not take place until a new government was installed that could credibly discuss the tax reforms desired by foreign lenders.

Years of economic stagnation and declining public services, exacerbated by political paralysis, have aggravated many Tunisians the form of democracy they took after the revolution and Saied’s intervention seemed to have broad support.

This week, ambassadors from the G7’s rich democracy group urged Saied to appoint a government and return Tunisia to a constitutional order in which an elected parliament played an important role.

Tunisia’s powerful union, the UGTT, has also urged it to appoint a government and start dialogue to change the political system. UGTT officials were not immediately available for comment.

Officials from parliament’s largest party, moderate Islamist Ennahda, who has been the most vocal opponent of Saied’s movements, were also not immediately available for comment.

Report by Tarek Amara, written by Angus McDowall; Edited by Chizu Nomiyama and Grant McCool

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