The Tunisian General Labor Union called on the Tunisian presidency for a serious and responsible dialogue, at a time when President Kais Saied commented on the low turnout in the legislative elections.
The Labor Union, the largest trade union organization in Tunisia, called today, Tuesday, for what it described as "a serious and responsible dialogue, not a fraudulent dialogue," warning that it "will not remain silent on absurdity," at a time when reactions questioning the president's legitimacy followed the low turnout in the vote by elections.
In a speech to crowds of his supporters during a gathering of agricultural workers, the Secretary General of the Union, Noureddine Al-Taboubi, said that the only solution to overcome the current crisis is a comprehensive national dialogue.
"I go to the Presidency of the Republic to conduct a serious and responsible dialogue, because otherwise they will push us to strife and unacceptable violence in Tunisia, and we have the right to express our positions," Taboubi said, stressing that "the solution in light of these conditions is to sit at one table."
The union's call came two days after the parliamentary elections, which witnessed a participation rate of 11.2%, which is the lowest level of voting since the 2011 revolution. Taboubi considered, "This big boycott of the elections is a message to all the political class that shows the frustration and despair of Tunisians."
Al-Taboubi added, "Time is up, and if you do not understand the message, people will say their word through peaceful struggle," stressing that "the time has come for civil society and national organizations to play their national role. Silence today is a crime. We will not let you mess with the country. We are not afraid of prisons."
sequential reactions
This, and reactions continue regarding the low participation rate in the legislative elections. President Kais Saied confirmed during his meeting with Prime Minister Naglaa Boden that what he called "some well-known parties" did not find this time anything to focus on except for the participation rate in the first round of the legislative elections. To question the representation of the next Assembly of Representatives of the People, while the participation rate is not measured in the first round only, but in the two sessions, as he put it.
On the other hand, opposition parties and organizations considered the turnout as an end to the president's legitimacy and called for early presidential elections.
Major parties in Tunisia, including the Salvation Front, which includes Ennahda and the Free Destourian Party, said Saied had no legitimacy and should step down, calling for mass popular movements against his rule.
The Tunisian economy is facing the worst crisis since the country's independence in the fifties of the last century, due to the political instability since the 2011 revolution that overthrew former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and the repercussions of the Corona pandemic, amid calls for the authorities to carry out economic reforms.
And at the end of last May, Tunisian President Kais Saied excluded the main parties from participating in the committee to prepare the draft of the new constitution through a "national dialogue", while the Labor Union refused at the time to participate in it, considering it a formal dialogue that excludes civil forces.