Political Parties Call for Roadmap in Tunisia but Differ over Goals

Tunisian President Kais Saied meets a group of union leaders and civil society members (Tunisian presidency)
Tunisian President Kais Saied meets a group of union leaders and civil society members (Tunisian presidency)
TT

Political Parties Call for Roadmap in Tunisia but Differ over Goals

Tunisian President Kais Saied meets a group of union leaders and civil society members (Tunisian presidency)
Tunisian President Kais Saied meets a group of union leaders and civil society members (Tunisian presidency)

Tunisian President Kais Saied and Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi have phoned senior world officials, including US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, to reaffirm their support for the multilateral and democratic track in their country.

In their calls, Saied and Jerandi stressed that recent decisions the administration had taken were “circumstantial” and aimed at “correction and reform,” not overturning the Tunisian constitution or enforcing martial law.

The president had suspended parliament, dismissed the government, and said he plans to put some lawmakers on trial for corruption.

He also said he would choose a new prime minister. He lifted the parliamentary immunity of legislators and later fired the defense and justice ministers.

While many political parties in the North African state have collectively stepped up their demands for a clear roadmap following the president’s move, they differed on the reasoning, objectives, and timeline the plan should take.

As for Saied, he held marathon meetings with representatives of bar associations, judges, journalists, worker unions, farmers to reassure them that his move does not mean he is straying the country away from democracy.

He explained the reasons behind removing the government of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi with the help of the army and freezing parliament.

After meeting with the president in the presence of national figures, Ibrahim Bouderbala, the head of Tunisia’s Bar Association, praised “Saied’s will to support national political dialogue with all political parties without exclusion, including the leaders of Ennahda Party and other opposition parties.”

Bouderbala stated that the only political figures to be excluded from the dialogue are corruption suspects that include several politicians and current and former lawmakers facing charges of smuggling, tax evasion, taking bribes, and receiving illicit financial support.

Meanwhile, a handful of senior constitutional law experts in Tunisia, including human rights defender Salwa Hamrouni and the academic Saghir Zakraoui, praised the decisions announced by Saied on Sunday evening.

Despite the support the president’s move received from the experts, some political leaders in Tunisia and abroad described his decisions as a “coup against the constitution and the results of parliamentary elections.”



Iran-Backed Iraqi Militia Vows to Continue Fighting Israel

20 November 2024, Iraq, Baghdad: A view of an empty street near Baghdad's Tahrir square during a nationwide curfew restricting movement of citizens through the census period. (dpa)
20 November 2024, Iraq, Baghdad: A view of an empty street near Baghdad's Tahrir square during a nationwide curfew restricting movement of citizens through the census period. (dpa)
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Iran-Backed Iraqi Militia Vows to Continue Fighting Israel

20 November 2024, Iraq, Baghdad: A view of an empty street near Baghdad's Tahrir square during a nationwide curfew restricting movement of citizens through the census period. (dpa)
20 November 2024, Iraq, Baghdad: A view of an empty street near Baghdad's Tahrir square during a nationwide curfew restricting movement of citizens through the census period. (dpa)

One of the most powerful Iran-backed factions in Iraq said it would continue its operations in support of Gaza despite the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire.

Iraqi militias have repeatedly launched attacks on Israel from Iraq in the nearly 14 months since the Israel-Hamas war broke out.

In a statement, the Kataib Hezbollah group said that the ceasefire would not have been possible without the “resilience of Hezbollah fighters and the failure of the Zionists to achieve their objectives, making the decision solely Lebanese.”

The group said that a pause by one member of the so-called Axis of Resistance, which includes Iran-backed groups from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, would not undermine the broader “unity of fronts” strategy.

The militia also said the US had been Israel’s partner “in all acts of betrayal, killing, destruction and displacement,” and said it “will eventually have to pay for its actions.”