The head of the powerful Tunisian trade union center UGTT, Noureddine Taboubi, strongly criticized, on Saturday December 3, the legislative elections scheduled for December 17, considering that they had no reason to exist after the highly contested reform of the Constitution which greatly reduces the role of political parties.

"We are going towards elections which have neither taste nor color, which result from a Constitution which was neither participatory (in its elaboration) nor submitted to the approval of the majority", he denounced during a meeting commemorating the assassination (in 1952) of the founder of the UGTT, Farhat Hached.

He particularly criticized the planned voting method - first past the post in two rounds - while a list ballot was in force before the coup led by President Kaïs Saied on July 25, 2021, by which he monopolized all powers.

As a result, the role of political parties is greatly reduced in favor of candidates with no declared affiliation.

Most of the parties, including the opposition candidates - first and foremost the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party - which dominated the Parliament dissolved by Kaïs Saied - called for a boycott of the election, denouncing a "coup d'etat against the Revolution" that overthrew dictator Ben Ali in 2011.

A new Parliament with very limited powers

The new Parliament will be composed of 161 deputies but its powers will be very limited under the new Constitution approved this summer during a referendum organized by Kaïs Saied and marked by a very strong abstention (nearly 70%). 

The process is highly criticized due to the low presence of women (15% of candidates) and the lack of candidates in certain constituencies for these elections, in which 1,038 candidates are standing.

In his speech, Noureddine Taboubi also called on the government to reveal the details of the reform plan promised to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for a preliminary agreement on a new loan of around 2 billion dollars.

The union opposes any privatization of state companies that provide public services (water, electricity, transport, etc.) and the abolition of subsidies for basic food and energy products.

Since 2011, Tunisia has been accumulating economic difficulties, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and then by the war in Ukraine, which has increased its debt beyond 100% of GDP, due to a great dependence on imports of cereals and fuels.

With AFP

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