Supporters of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party rallied in their thousands on Saturday February 27.

This demonstration of the support of the main party in power in Tunisia, one of the most important in recent years, comes as the social crisis accentuated by the Covid-19 pandemic is coupled with growing budgetary difficulties.

Some public companies are struggling to pay salaries, and donors are worried about the Tunisian debt rising.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned in a press release on Saturday about the urgency of reforms to reduce the deficit.

He called for reducing the public wage bill and energy subsidies, stressing that "public debt would become unsustainable unless a solid reform program is adopted."

President Kaïs Saïed, who enjoys significant popularity, rejected at the end of January a reshuffle wanted by Ennahda to assure the government the support of his parliamentary coalition.

In the absence of a constitutional court, the conflict dragged on, paralyzing the government for six weeks.

"Respect for the Constitution and democracy"

"The people want national unity," chanted supporters of Ennahda, while party leader Rached Ghannouchi spoke to call for dialogue.

"We demand respect for the Constitution and for democracy," underlines Mohamed Khlif, who came from Sfax despite the travel restrictions in force due to the pandemic.

"We are in a parliamentary system, it is not for the president to decide on his own who can govern or not!" 

Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, who had sacked eleven ministers including that of Health and the Interior, ended up handing these ministries over to other members of the government already in place.

The political instability that has hampered fundamental reforms since the 2011 revolution has increased since the coming to power in 2019 of a fragmented and deeply divided Parliament.

With AFP

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