Tunisia: the authorities announce the dissolution of the municipal councils

Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed, February 18, 2023. © AP/Johanna Geron

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed announced the dissolution of the municipal councils, elected in 2018, seven years after the revolution.

Considered as achievements of the decentralization process initiated during the democratic transition, they were to be dissolved in April and subject to new elections.

Their dissolution was consecrated, Thursday, March 9, by a publication in the official journal, before the publication in the wake of three bills related to municipalities and regional councils.

Advertisement

Read more

It is a political decision which comes just before the holding of the

, scheduled for Monday 13 March.

A way of pulling the rug out from under the future Parliament, according to some experts, since once the assembly is in place, the presidency will have to go through the deputies to submit bills and will therefore no longer be able to resort to the decree.

By publishing two decrees, Thursday, March 9, which amend the electoral law, sanction the dissolution of municipal councils and provide for the election of local and regional councils, Kaïs Saïed

to implement his political project of decentralization with a territorial and political redistricting.

Municipal elections are still planned within three months of the end of the mayors' term of office, but there will also be the election of local councils, without date mentioned, which must then allow, by indirect suffrage with the regions, the establishment of Council of Regions, the second parliamentary chamber, envisaged by the bicameral system of Kaïs Saïed.

There is no data on the distribution of powers between the municipalities and the new local councils.

Many experts fear a jurisdictional conflict.

The obligation of parity in the municipalities, enshrined in the old electoral law, has disappeared.

As for the dissolution of the municipal councils, special delegations made up of general secretaries and civil servants already present in the municipalities will ensure their functioning, pending the holding of new elections.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

Continue reading on the same topics

• Tunisia

• Kais Saied