Tunisia on the eve and in the wake of the 2022 constitutional referendum

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Notes

1 It is noteworthy that Tunisia's Constitution of 1959, with Amendments through 2008, stipulates in its Article 68, that in the ‘case of high treason by a member of the government’, the ‘High Court meets’ and applies a special procedure.

2 see ANews 2021. “Tunisia’s Saied defends divisive measures, dismisses ‘coup’ charges”. July 27. https://www.anews.com.tr/world/2021/07/26/tunisias-saied-defends-divisive-measures-dismisses-coup-charges.

3 see https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220621-the-fastest-constitution-draft-in-the-world-restores-presidential-system-to-tunisia/.

4 Kaïs Saïed discusses new constitution with legal experts Sadok Belaïd and Mohamed Salah Ben Aissa’ (2022) Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) May 2 https://www.tap.info.tn/en/Portal-Politics/15153404-ka%C3%AFs-sa%C3%AFed (accessed May 4). See also ‘Tunisian president forms committee to create constitution for 'New Republic'’, (2022) The New Arab May 2 https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/tunisia-president-forms-committee-create-constitution.

5 see https://www.euromedmonitor.org/en/article/5020/Tunisia:-Dissolving-parliament-violates-constitution,-further-complicates-existing-crisis.

6 see Volkmann, 2022.“Saied’s supporters celebrate new constitution, but turnout is low” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/7/26/tunisia-backs-new-constitution-but-only-a-quarter-bother-to-vote

7 see “Tunisia police clash with protesters in second night of protests” https://english.alarabiya.net/News/north-africa/2022/10/16/Tunisia-police-clash-with-protesters-in-second-night-of-protests

8 see Mhedhbi, “Les familles qui pillent la Tunisie”, (Families who pillage Tunisia) February 7 and 14, 2011. https://www.webdo.tn/2011/02/07/les-familles-qui-pillent-la-tunisie-par-ezzeddine-mhedhbi/; mentions the following families, in alliance with others, involved in ‘corruption’, since 1987 Ben Ali’s coup, as having pillaged Tunisia before and after 2011:‘les Ben Ali, Trabelsi, Mabrouk, Materi, etc.

9 see https://uk.news.yahoo.com/tunisia-referendum-victory-yes-vote-121117646.html.

10 by now the 1^st president of the ‘3^rd republic’, (2019-2024) as much as his predecessor Essebsi (2014-2019) who acted, under the 2014 constitution, as the 1^st president of the ‘2^nd republic’ and continuator of his mentor and ideologue Bourguiba, the 1^st president of the retrospectively ‘1^st republic’ (1957-1987).

11 see https://warsawinstitute.org/tunisias-constitutional-crisis-25th-july-2022/.