Tunisia -

With Tunisian President Kais Saied adopting exceptional measures by exercising legislative and executive powers, political parties began to move towards forming fronts to defend democracy, rejecting what they called "a coup against the constitution and a departure from legitimacy."

Today, the Democratic Current, Ettakatol, Afaq Tounes and the Republican Party announced - in a joint statement - the start of coordination between them and the rest of the democratic parties and national organizations.

With the aim of forming a "civil political front" to counter the coup against the constitution.

The four parties considered that President Saeed has "lost his legitimacy by departing from the constitution, and that everything built on this basis is invalid, and does not represent the Tunisian state and its people", bearing him all the possible repercussions of his step.

She stressed that the presidential order is a violation of legitimacy, a coup against the constitution, which the President of the Republic swore to protect, and push the country towards the unknown.

The Secretary-General of the Republican Party, Issam Al-Shabi, says to Al-Jazeera Net that the joint statement of the four parties was preceded by a meeting with the Secretary-General of the Labor Union, Noureddine Al-Taboubi, with the aim of pushing for the expansion of consultations with the rest of the political and civil forces, to defend democracy and the foundations of the state.

first step

Chebbi stressed that the announcement of the formation of this civil front is only a first step, which will be followed by important steps, with the aim of mobilizing the street, mobilizing public opinion and exercising all kinds of pressure, including taking to the streets.

Chebbi held President Said responsible for the political situation, by closing the door to dialogue and refusing to negotiate, noting that the president who suspended the constitution has lost all legitimacy on which he was based.

In the first official reaction from the Tunisian Labor Union, its Assistant Secretary-General Anwar Ben Kaddour - during a meeting of the administrative body - expressed the unionists' dissatisfaction with the president's failure to consult the organization on his recent measures, and warned that the country's president is heading towards absolute autonomy, and that the country will go towards The abyss and the danger of bankruptcy.

Four other parties (the Republican People's Union, Tunisia's Movement of Will, Wafaa Movement and Popular Will) announced the establishment of the "Democratic Front" to confront what was described as the president's coup against the democratic path and his suspension of the constitution.

perjury

These parties considered - in a joint statement - that the president had perjured the constitutional oath, disrupted the constitution, broke the law, and adopted a violent rhetoric that threatens civil peace, and has lost legitimacy, calling for his removal.

These parties urged their supporters and all living forces to come out to demonstrate peacefully and within the framework of the law "to oppose the coup and overthrow its engineers, and put them on trial for what they have done against the country and the people."

The Secretary-General of the Republican People's Union, Lotfi Al-Maraihi, said that the formation of a political and partisan front to defend the constitution and democracy reflects a state of consensus that began to form after Saeed revealed his coup intentions, as he put it.

Al-Maraihi continued - in a statement to Al-Jazeera Net - "We consider today that the position of the President of the Republic has become vacant, and that Qais Saeed has lost all legitimacy after his coup against the constitution, and we also call for his dismissal and accountability." legitimacy, calling on those he described as political and popular forces that believe in the principles of democracy and refuse to return to the square of tyranny to participate strongly in these moves.

In conjunction with the parties' calls for demonstrations, civil and popular forces - under the name "Citizens Against the Coup" - announced that they would organize a protest against tyranny and corruption on Saturday in Al-Thawra Street in the capital, and they had organized a similar move about a week ago.

system failure

On the other hand, the leader of the People's Movement, Badr al-Din al-Qamudi (one of the most prominent parties supporting the president's decisions), considered that those who are protesting today against Qais Saeed's decisions were part of the system of political, economic and social failure.

Al-Qamudi continued - in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net - that "these partisan and political fronts that talk about protecting democracy, in my opinion, are motivated by corrupt political money, which wants to take shelter in it and employ it to serve his interests, after the president chose to hold all the corrupt accountable."

The spokesman stressed that the measures taken by the country's president are aimed at saving Tunisia and its people, and that the president responded to popular calls that demanded him to put an end to the health and living deterioration and political absurdity.

Regarding the talk of some parties about the president’s isolation and the growing state of popular and partisan rejection of his measures, al-Qamoudi replied, “The president is not isolated, and it is the parties that are in a conflict with the people, not the other way around.”

The Tunisian president had announced his assumption of preparing draft amendments related to political reforms through the assistance of a committee organized by presidential order, according to what was stated in the Tunisian presidency statement. It is headed by the head of government.