Tunisian Party Calls on President, Political Leaders to Step Down

Tunisian President Kais Saied. (AP)
Tunisian President Kais Saied. (AP)
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Tunisian Party Calls on President, Political Leaders to Step Down

Tunisian President Kais Saied. (AP)
Tunisian President Kais Saied. (AP)

Tunisia’s Al Chaab Yourid party, led by Najd al-Khalfaoui, called on President Kais Saied and various political leaders to resign and admit their failure to find a solution for the political impasse in the country.

In a statement, the party called on General Mohamed Salah al-Hamdi, who resigned from his position as presidential national security adviser, to run for the next presidential elections, scheduled for 2024.

However, the party criticized Hamdi’s neutral position in face of the imminent danger threatening the state.

It also condemned a number of retired military figures harboring political aspirations, who had submitted a message to the president, entitled “The Last Hope to Save the Country.”

The letter sparked widespread political debate about the possible involvement of the military in politics, after years of impartiality.

Khalfaoui said Tunisians “have observed the political rivalries within the illegitimate parliament after a report on the legislative and presidential elections revealed fundamental violations that affect the integrity and transparency of the electoral process.”

He called on all political parties, including the president, to allow the people to decide their future through early legislative and presidential elections, adding, however, that the electoral law must also be amended.

The party reminded the president of his pledge to the youth during his electoral campaign, “to return to its rightful owners” in the event of his failure to achieve their will and demands.

Al Chaab Yourid party was officially established last March and was accused of being close to the president because it has adopted a slogan similar to his campaign slogan.

However, Khalfaoui asserted that some presidential advisors were part of the party's founding council before their withdrawal, which means they have ended their affiliation with the presidency.



Erdogan Expects Support from Syria in Türkiye's Battle with PKK

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint news conference with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, Nigeria October 20, 2021. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint news conference with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, Nigeria October 20, 2021. (Reuters)
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Erdogan Expects Support from Syria in Türkiye's Battle with PKK

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint news conference with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, Nigeria October 20, 2021. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint news conference with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, Nigeria October 20, 2021. (Reuters)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Syria's new leadership is determined to root out separatists there, as Ankara said its military had "neutralized" 32 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in the country.

A rebellion by groups close to Türkiye ousted Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad last month. Since then, Türkiye-backed Syrian forces have occasionally clashed in the north with US-backed Kurdish forces that Ankara deems terrorists.

"With the revolution in Syria... the hopes of the separatist terrorist organization hit a wall," Erdogan told his party's provincial congress in Trabzon.

"The new administration in Syria is showing an extremely determined stance in preserving the country's territorial integrity and unitary structure," he said.

"The end of the terrorist organization is near. There is no option left other than to surrender their weapons, abandon terrorism, and dissolve the organization. They will face Türkiye's iron fist," Erdogan added.

The defense ministry separately announced the armed forces' operation in northern Syria that it said had "neutralized" - a term that usually means killed - the 32 PKK members. It said Türkiye's military had also "neutralized" four PKK members in northern Iraq, where the militants are based.