Tunisians are free to express their views on a new political system for the country, President Kais Saied said in a televised address on Monday, before a referendum on constitutional changes scheduled for July.
He spoke after about 2,000 people protested in the capital Tunis on Sunday, calling for greater political rights and the return of a multiparty government.
"Work will continue to go to a referendum on July 25, after which everyone will be involved in expressing their opinions and suggestions for the new political system," Mr Saied said.
His comments also came at the expiry of a deadline for an online consultation that started two months ago, which officials said was designed to determine the views of Tunisians on political and economic issues.
Only about 500,000 people participated in the process, in a country of 12 million.
Public opinion will feed into a panel reviewing constitutional amendments, Mr Saied has said.
The president has been accused of returning the country to authoritarian rule that had ended with a national uprising in 2011.
Last year, he froze executive authorities and suspended parliament, giving himself power to rule by decree.
Sunday's speech may imply that Mr Saied could accept talks with political opponents, although he has previously said he rejects "sterile dialogue" with those he calls corrupt and traitors.
Mr Saied approved three decrees late on Sunday, including reconciliation with businessmen accused of involvement in corruption cases in exchange for development projects in interior regions, state TV reported.
Before Mr Saied’s takeover, Tunisia’s political scene was highly factionalised, dogged by corruption and wrangling between rival parties. Economic growth was sluggish with high unemployment, which grew to nearly 20 per cent in 2021, according to government data.
But critics of Mr Saied doubt he has a workable plan to address the country’s continuing economic crisis, which includes soaring public debt and a bloated public sector.
Structural economic problems have been compounded not only by Covid-19 and the subsequent collapse in tourism revenues but also, the sharp rise in commodity prices this year, which have caused a spike in the cost of living.
The president has also been focused on far-reaching political devolution, rather than the deep economic reform analysts say is necessary to create growth.
Mr Saied did not say how people could express their views in the new system, although key players, such as the powerful labour union UGTT, feel the only way forward is through national dialogue on political and economic reforms.
Sunday's protesters in the capital called for the return of the democratic system.
Most political parties have dismissed the online consultation as a fraud and a bid by Mr Saied to impose his political project, although the leader called it an embodiment of the slogan of the Tunisian revolution, "The people want".
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Test series fixtures
(All matches start at 2pm UAE)
1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday
2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18
3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31
4th Test Manchester from August 4-8
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Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The%20Kitchen
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