Tomorrow, Saturday, the polls will start outside Tunisia in the referendum on the new draft constitution, to be completed next Monday through voting inside the country.
Here is a chronology of the main developments since President Kais Saied announced the extraordinary measures last July 25, freezing the work of Parliament and dismissing the Prime Minister and ruling through decrees.
25 July 2021
Saeed announces the suspension of Parliament for 30 days and the dismissal of Prime Minister Hisham Al-Mashishi, based on Article 80 of the Constitution, which authorizes him to take exceptional measures in the event of an "imminent danger threatening the entity of the homeland."
Saeed confirms that his step aims to “save” the country that suffered from political blockage, and at that time witnessed a rise in the number of deaths due to Covid-19.
The Ennahda party, which is most represented in parliament, denounces a "coup against the revolution and the constitution", and calls on its supporters and all Tunisians to "defend the revolution."
26 July 2021
Hundreds of Saied and Ennahda supporters exchange bottles and stones in front of Parliament.
Ghannouchi begins a sit-in in front of the legislative authority building, demanding that he be allowed to enter it after the army closed it.
The Tunisian General Labor Union (Central Trade Union) considers that Said's decisions came as a "response" to popular demands and "according to" the constitution.
France expresses its hope for a return "as soon as possible" to "the normal functioning of the institutions", and the United States expresses its "concern" and calls for respect for "democratic principles".
27 July 2021
Ennahda calls for holding "early and simultaneous legislative and presidential elections, in order to ensure the protection of the democratic process and to avoid any delay that would be used as an excuse to cling to an authoritarian regime."
28 July 2021
Said launches a campaign to combat "those who looted public money", calling on 460 businessmen accused of embezzling funds during the rule of Ben Ali (1987-2011) to invest in the interior regions, in return for a "penal peace" with them.
August 3, 2021
The Tunisian General Labor Union calls on the president to expedite the appointment of a prime minister and the formation of a "mini-salvation" government.
The Ennahda movement is showing its readiness to conduct “self-criticism” and change its policies.
26 August 2021
Amnesty International announces the registration of 50 cases of “unlawful and arbitrary” travel bans since 25 July, against judges, officials, businessmen and a parliamentarian.
September 3, 2021
The International Organization Against Torture calls on Saeed to put an end to a series of "arbitrary practices", most notably "restriction of freedoms".
September 10, 2021
The European Union expresses "concerns" to Said, and calls on him to resume the work of Parliament and preserve the "gains of democracy" in Tunisia.
Said hints at the possibility of amending the constitution.
14 September 2021
The Tunisian president stresses that his country is "ruled by a mafia" and attacks political officials he accused of corruption.
20 September 2021
Qais Saeed announces that he intends to appoint a new prime minister within the framework of "transitional provisions", while keeping the exceptional measures he previously took.
Ennahda warns that the president's measures threaten to "dismantle the state."
September 22, 2021
Saeed issues a presidential order that includes other exceptional measures that enhance his powers at the expense of the government as well as the parliament that replaces him by “issuing texts of a legislative nature in the form of decrees.”
Saeed declares that he will continue to work only "with the preamble of the constitution, chapters one and two of it, and all constitutional provisions that do not conflict with the provisions of this presidential order."
September 29, 2021
The president assigns a university major in geology, Najla Boden, 63, to form a government as soon as possible.
Boden - little known to the political class and the general public - is the first woman appointed to the executive branch of a country with a pioneering history in the field of women's rights and freedoms.
December 10, 2021
The ambassadors of the G7 member states accredited in Tunisia call - in a joint statement - for a "quick" return to the work of the country's democratic institutions.
December 13, 2021
Saeed announces the extension of the suspension of Parliament, suspended since July 25, until a referendum on constitutional reforms is held next summer, and legislative elections are organized at the end of 2022.
The Supreme Judicial Council was dissolved and replaced with a "temporary" one.
December 23, 2021
Human Rights Watch condemns the increase in legal prosecutions for the use of "repressive" laws against voices critical of the president's decisions, considering it a "danger" to freedoms.
January 14, 2022
Security forces violently dispersed demonstrations against the president, despite bans on gatherings for health reasons.
February 5 2022
President Saied dissolves the Supreme Judicial Council, an independent body established in 2016 to oversee the professional affairs of judges, after accusing its members of “loyalty” and of falling under the influence of Ennahda.
February 13, 2022
The president approves a decree establishing the “Interim Supreme Judicial Council,” granting itself the power to “request the dismissal of every judge who violates his professional duties,” and bans judges from striking.
April 22 2022
Saeed changes the electoral commission law, and has the authority to appoint its president and members of its council.
Parliament is permanently dissolved.
March 30, 2022
Saeed announces the final dissolution of Parliament as a reaction to Parliament organizing its suspended work for a virtual session.
May 20 2022
Said appoints constitutional law professor Sadiq Belaid to head a committee tasked with preparing a "constitution for the new republic".
6 June 2022
The Tunisian General Labor Union is carrying out a general strike, in response to what it described as the unprecedented deterioration of social conditions in Tunisia.
1 July 2022
The Tunisian president publishes the new draft constitution.
3 July 2022
The launch of the advertising campaign for the referendum on the new draft constitution.
Saturday 23 July
Voting starts outside Tunisia on the referendum project.
Monday 25 July
Vote on the draft referendum in Tunisia, the day that coincides with the announcement of exceptional measures by Saied, and it also coincides with the Republic Day.