TUNIS: Tunisian President Kais Saied plans to suspend the constitution and may offer changes to the political system through a referendum, one of his advisers told Reuters on Thursday.
Saied seized governing powers, dismissed the prime minister and suspended parliament in July in moves his political foes called a coup, but he has not yet appointed a new government or made any broader declaration of his long-term plans.
“This system cannot continue ... changing the system means changing the constitution through a referendum, perhaps ... the referendum requires logistical preparation,” said Walid Hajjem, an adviser to Saied.
He added that this was the president’s plan, which was at the final stage and was expected to be formally unveiled soon.
Hajjem did not expand on what changes Saied was contemplating.
However, he has been widely expected to move to a presidential system of government that would reduce the role of the parliament, something that has been frequently discussed during years of gridlock since the 2014 constitution was agreed.
Tunisia adopted democracy after the 2011 uprising that ended autocratic rule and triggered the Arab Spring revolts across the region.
Both domestic and international forces have pushed for Saied to appoint a government and show how he means to exit the constitutional crisis triggered by his intervention.
Tunisia faces grave economic problems and a looming threat to public finances, and had just started talks with the International Monetary Fund for a new loan program when Saied ousted the prime minister.
This week ambassadors from the G7 group of rich democracies urged Saied to appoint a government and return Tunisia to a constitutional order in which an elected parliament played a significant role.
Tunisian president plans to change political system, suspend constitution: Adviser
https://arab.news/43cxb
Tunisian president plans to change political system, suspend constitution: Adviser
- “Changing the system means changing the constitution through a referendum, perhaps," said Walid Hajjem, an adviser to Tunisian President Kais Saied
- Hajjem did not expand on what changes Saied was contemplating
World Government Summit 2026 set to be largest ever
- 35 world leaders confirmed, says WGS’ Mohammad Al-Gergawi
- ‘Because the challenges of the future cannot be tackled alone’
DUBAI: This year’s World Government Summit will be the largest in the event’s history, said Mohammad Al-Gergawi, the WGS foundation’s chairman, on Friday.
Speaking at an event at the Museum of the Future, Al-Gergawi said 35 heads of state and government officials have confirmed their attendance, including Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and Switzerland’s President Guy Parmelin.
The WGS is an annual event held in Dubai which explores governance, and focuses on harnessing innovation and technology to solve universal challenges facing humanity.
Al-Gergawi said 24 side events would take place during the summit including forums on artificial intelligence, education, and sustainability.
Over 35 ministerial meetings are on the program including the Ministerial Roundtable with Arab Youth Ministers, Future of Tourism Roundtable, and Sustainable Development Goals Global Council Launch.
Al-Gergawi said four honors would be awarded during the summit, for best minister, most reformed government, sustainability, and best teacher.
He added that the world’s largest global gathering of Nobel laureates would take place during the summit.
“The World Laureate Summit aims to host a platform for laureates to present scientific solutions for problems governments are facing and will invite 50 laureates from various disciplines,” he explained.
Al-Gergawi said the WGS aims to play a key role in boosting collaboration between the private and public sectors.
“The success of the summit depends on the presence of governments, international organizations and the sector that shapes the future, the private sector,” he said.
“The success of the summit is directly linked to partnerships. Each partnership and initiative launched contributes to overcoming challenges in the future,” he added.
“The World Government Summit gathers everyone because the challenges of the future cannot be tackled alone,” Al-Gergawi said.
The summit takes place at Dubai’s Madinat Jumeirah from Feb. 3 to 5.
