Tunisian Official Accuses Saied of ‘Aggravating’ Political Situation

 Tunisia's Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi on August 10, 2020 (AFP)
Tunisia's Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi on August 10, 2020 (AFP)
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Tunisian Official Accuses Saied of ‘Aggravating’ Political Situation

 Tunisia's Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi on August 10, 2020 (AFP)
Tunisia's Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi on August 10, 2020 (AFP)

Tunisian Secretary General of the People’s Republican Union Party (UPR) Lotfi Mraihi has held President Kais Saied responsible for part of the tension prevailing in Tunisia’s political life and accused him of aggravating the situation.

In a press conference on Monday, Mraihi slammed Saied’s diplomatic stances, his appointments and dismissals.

He pointed out that the president is supposed to play his constitutional role as a symbol of national unity and be unbiased, adding that Saied, instead, has become a party in this process.

Mosaique FM quoted him as affirming that the president’s role has become marginalized in the Carthage Palace (the presidential palace).

Saied’s appointment of a figure outside the parliamentary authority to become part of the executive authority has allowed Tunisian parties to manipulate him in what serves their personal interests, Mraihi noted.

Meanwhile, participants in Heart of Tunisia party’s parliamentary events, which concluded on Sunday, highlighted the importance of establishing a comprehensive national reconciliation, taking measures to restore confidence between citizens and the state and ensuring freedoms, in support of the democratic process.

According to an official statement by the party, they stressed the need to encourage free initiatives to bolster investments, create wealth and restore financial balances, as well as enhance the readiness of security forces and the military and intensify efforts to counter extremism and terrorism and uproot their sources.

Remarkably, spokesman for Nabil Karoui’s Liberal Heart of Tunisia party Sadiq Jabnoun said in statements last week that his party (26 MPs), Ennahda Movement (54 MPs), Al-Karama Coalition (19 MPs) and the Future bloc (9 MPs) formed a single parliamentary front to serve political stability and ensure a smooth democratic transition.

He said the front formed is aimed at supporting Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi’s government in receiving the vote of confidence sought to end the political crisis and achieve a certain level of political stability after years of turmoil.



Syria Announces 200 Percent Public Sector Wage, Pension Increase

FILE PHOTO: Bundles of Syrian currency notes are stacked up as an employee counts money at Syrian central bank, in Damascus,Syria, January 12, 2025. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Bundles of Syrian currency notes are stacked up as an employee counts money at Syrian central bank, in Damascus,Syria, January 12, 2025. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi/File Photo
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Syria Announces 200 Percent Public Sector Wage, Pension Increase

FILE PHOTO: Bundles of Syrian currency notes are stacked up as an employee counts money at Syrian central bank, in Damascus,Syria, January 12, 2025. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Bundles of Syrian currency notes are stacked up as an employee counts money at Syrian central bank, in Damascus,Syria, January 12, 2025. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi/File Photo

Syria announced on Sunday a 200 percent hike in public sector wages and pensions, as it seeks to address a grinding economic crisis after the recent easing of international sanctions.

Over a decade of civil war has taken a heavy toll on Syria's economy, with the United Nations reporting more than 90 percent of its people live in poverty.

In a decree published by state media, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a "200 percent increase to salaries and wages... for all civilian and military workers in public ministries, departments and institutions.”

Under the decree, the minimum wage for government employees was raised to 750,000 Syrian pounds per month, or around $75, up from around $25, AFP reported.

A separate decree granted the same 200 percent increase to retirement pensions included under current social insurance legislation.

Last month, the United States and European Union announced they would lift economic sanctions in a bid to help the country's recovery.

Also in May, Syria's Finance Minister Mohammed Barnieh said Qatar would help it pay some public sector salaries.

The extendable arrangement was for $29 million a month for three months, and would cover "wages in the health, education and social affairs sectors and non-military" pensions, he had said.

Barnieh had said the grant would be managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and covered around a fifth of current wages and salaries.

Syria has some 1.25 million public sector workers, according to official figures.