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)
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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.”



Berri Says War with Israel ‘Most Dangerous Phase’ in Lebanon’s History

FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri looks on during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri looks on during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
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Berri Says War with Israel ‘Most Dangerous Phase’ in Lebanon’s History

FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri looks on during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri looks on during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

The speaker of Lebanon's parliament, Nabih Berri, said on Wednesday the war with Israel had been the "most dangerous phase" his country had endured in its history, hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect.
A ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed group Hezbollah came into effect on Wednesday after both sides accepted an agreement brokered by the US and France, a rare victory for diplomacy in a region traumatized by two devastating wars for over a year.
Lebanon's army, which is tasked with helping make sure the ceasefire holds, said in a statement on Wednesday it was preparing to deploy to the south of the country.
The military also asked that residents of border villages delay returning home until the Israeli military, which has waged war against Hezbollah on several occasions and pushed around six km (4 miles) into Lebanese territory, withdraws.
The agreement, which promises to end a conflict across the Israeli-Lebanese border that has killed thousands of people since it was ignited by the Gaza war last year, is a major achievement for the US in the waning days of President Joe Biden's administration.
Biden spoke at the White House on Tuesday shortly after Israel's security cabinet approved the agreement in a 10-1 vote. He said he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and that fighting would end at 4 a.m. local time (0200 GMT).
Israel will gradually withdraw its forces over 60 days as Lebanon's army takes control of territory near its border with Israel to ensure that Hezbollah does not rebuild its infrastructure there, Biden said.