Today, Wednesday, Tunisian President Kais Saied discussed with the head of the electoral authority, Farouk Bouaskar, preparations for organizing the referendum on July 25, this comes while a number of farmers’ union officials withdrew confidence from the current president, Abdel Majid Al-Zar, after the president excluded him from several meetings, which he refused. Alzar.

The Tunisian Presidency page said that the meeting between Saïd and Bouaskar dealt with the ongoing preparations for organizing the referendum, as well as some difficulties, "which are being overcome so that the sovereign Tunisian people express their will."

After months of political blockage, Qais Saeed, who was elected at the end of 2019, announced the assumption of all executive and legislative powers on July 25, and dismissed the prime minister and suspended parliament before dissolving it last March.

In a road map he developed to get the country out of its political crisis, Saied decided to hold a referendum on constitutional amendments in preparation for next July 25, before holding legislative elections on December 17 of this year.

He also granted himself last April 22 the right to appoint 3 of the seven members of the electoral commission, including its president.

More than a week ago, Saeed issued a decree revealing the new composition of the Independent High Authority for Elections.

The new commission is headed by Farouk Bouaskar, a member of the former Independent High Authority for Elections.

The Independent High Authority for Elections is a constitutional body that has supervised the elections since October 2011. It previously consisted of 9 independent, neutral and qualified members who are elected by Parliament by a two-thirds majority, and they perform their duties for one period of 6 years, and one third of its members are renewed every two years.

Saeed had announced last Thursday his refusal to attend foreign observers in the referendum.

Tunisians demonstrate against the decisions of Kais Saied (French)

political crisis

Since last July 25, Tunisia has been experiencing a severe political crisis following exceptional measures that Saied began to impose, including the dissolution of parliament, the abolition of the constitutionality monitoring body, the issuance of legislation by presidential decrees, and the dissolution of the Supreme Judicial Council.

Tunisian forces consider these measures a coup against the constitution, while other forces see what they call a correction to the course of the 2011 revolution, but Saeed says that his measures are measures within the framework of the constitution to protect the state from imminent danger, stressing not to prejudice freedoms and rights.

In a related context, the Free Constitutional Party announced today, Wednesday, that it submitted a grievance to the "European Committee for Democracy through Law" (Venice Commission) regarding what it called violations of the current electoral process in the country committed by President Said, while President Said usually confirms his commitment to the constitution and the law.

The party said that it sent a letter to the Venice Commission, which included a presentation of the arsenal of irregularities and violations that mar the electoral process currently adopted in Tunisia, without details about them.

He added that the current electoral path aims to abolish the concept of citizenship and transform the electoral process into a pledge of allegiance to the person Qais Saeed, the sole controller of the election result in advance, as he put it.

Tunisia is witnessing a political crisis and sharp division (Reuters)

withdraw confidence

In developments related to the political crisis, a number of Peasant Union officials withdrew confidence from the current president, Abdel Majid Al-Zar, who is accused of being close to the Ennahda movement. President Kais Saied excluded him from meetings with organizations and received his deputy instead, and directed him indirect criticism.

Al-Zar responded - through his page on "Facebook" - that "the session held today, Wednesday, by some members of the Central Council of the Federation, is considered null, given the violations and violations that accompanied it by avoiding the statute of the Federation."

And he indicated that the meeting held did not reach the legal quorum in accordance with Article 80 of the statute, pointing out that there were several breaches and other violations.