TUNIS: Tunisia’s president has prolonged the special powers he granted himself a month ago when he began ruling by decree after firing the prime minister, freezing parliament and lifting the immunity of lawmakers.
President Kais Saied had been expected to step back within 30 days, the time the Tunisian Constitution allows for such special measures. On Friday, Saied assured that changes would be made “in the coming days,” while adding that “the institutions of state are functioning normally.”
As the 30-day deadline approached, the president issued a decree late Monday saying that exceptional measures would remain in place “until further notice.” Saied did not give a reason for his action but said he would address the nation in the days ahead.
The president moved to consolidate power in his hands on July 26, the day after nationwide protests against worsening social and economic conditions exacerbated by the spread of the coronavirus. Other nations have since poured vaccines and oxygen equipment into Tunisia, which had few resources with which to fight the pandemic.
Since he took full charge of the country, Saied fired top government ministers, along with a handful of regional governors, while police went after lawmakers and other officials for alleged corruption.
The president blamed corruption on “10 years of theft and non-application of the law,” a reference to Tunisia's governance following the revolution that ousted its long-time autocratic leader and sparked the Arab Spring a decade ago. The North African nation was widely seen as a model for budding democracies but has failed to cure chronic unemployment and other social ills, especially in neglected provinces.
Saied was in part pointing a finger at the moderate Islamist Ennahdha party, which has shared power since the 2011 revolution. Ennahdha leader Rachid Ghannouchi charged the president with mounting a coup d'état by taking on all executive powers.
Saied has received emissaries from Tunisia's regional allies and elsewhere over the past month. Some voiced full support for him, while others, notably Western nations, urged a quick return to the democratic process.
Inside Tunisia, the powerful UGTT union and others asked the president to provide a roadmap for the future.
Tunisian president extends suspension of parliament’s work
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Tunisian president extends suspension of parliament’s work
- President Kais Saied had been expected to step back within 30 days, the time the Tunisian Constitution allows for such special measures
Tunisia court reduces ex-PM’s jail term over terror charges
- Last year, the former premier was sentenced to 34 years in prison.
- An overnight ruling from an appeals court reduced the 70-year-old’s term to 24 years, his defense lawyer Bouthelja said
TUNIS: A Tunisian appeals court has reduced the prison sentence of former prime minister Ali Larayedh by a decade to 24 years after he was found guilty of terrorism charges, his lawyer said Friday.
Since his arrest in late 2022, Larayedh has denied the charges that he helped send militant fighters to Iraq and Syria, and his lawyers have branded the case as politically motivated.
Last year, the former premier was sentenced to 34 years in prison. However, an overnight ruling from an appeals court reduced the 70-year-old’s term to 24 years, his defense lawyer Oussama Bouthelja told AFP.
Larayedh was prime minister from 2013 to 2014. He was a leader in the Islamist party Ennahdha, which briefly governed Tunisia following a popular uprising in 2011 that launched the Arab Spring.
He is a critic of President Kais Saied.
Others prosecuted in the case included former security officials and a spokesman for Ansar Al-Sharia, a group Tunisia designated a terrorist organization in 2013 while Larayedh was prime minister.
The appeals court reduced the sentences of several others in the case, with prison terms now ranging from three to 24 years.
Ennahdha played a key role in Tunisian politics for years before its leader Rached Ghannouchi was hit with multiple prison terms, which include a 22-year sentence on charges of plotting against state security.
Larayedh had already spent 15 years in prison, including 10 in solitary confinement, for plotting against the state under longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was toppled during the Arab Spring.
The UN said about 5,500 Tunisians fought with militant groups including the Daesh in Iraq, Syria and Libya between 2011 and 2016.
