Tunisia's political class and civil society reacted with alarm to President Kais Saied's stunning presidential order published on Wednesday that suspends much of the country's constitution and further consolidates power in the president's hands.
The presidential order, which strips parliamentarians of their salaries and protections, essentially sacking the country's legislators, instead empowers Mr Saied to issue “legislative texts” by decree and direct the policy of the nation alone.
Nearly a dozen of Tunisia's political parties from across the political spectrum have come out against the sweeping new measures.
In a joint statement, four centrist parties – Attayar, Al Joumhouri, Ettakatol and Afek Tounes – said the president had "lost his legitimacy" with such a step, and that his new powers effectively “pave the way for a dictatorship that takes us back decades”, but stressed that the country could return neither to the political chaos before Mr Saied's consolidation on July 25, nor to the dictatorship of the Ben Ali era.
Rejecting calls for inclusive dialogue from within Tunisia and from foreign allies, Mr Saied will instead personally oversee the creation of draft amendments to the constitution “in collaboration with a committee that will be established by a presidential decree”.
Qalb Tounes MP Oussama Khlifi criticised the approach. "Saied lost his legitimacy and changed the rules of the game," he told local media on Thursday. "The constitution is clear: there is a constitutional process for amending its provisions. No one has the right to make amendments alone."
The leader of the Tahya Tounes party, Mustapha Ben Ahmed, expressed grave concerns about the future of some of Tunisia's most prized and hard-won rights under such consolidated power in a Facebook post on Thursday.
"If society succumbs to yesterday's earthquake and accepts what has been imposed on it, then education, women, modernity, independence, organisations, parties, associations, rights and freedoms ... have become a mirage.”
The country's largest political party, Ennahda, issued a statement decrying the president's actions as a coup d'etat, a sentiment shared in statements by both Qalb Tounes and the Worker's Party. In its statement, Ennahda warned that "this unilateral course of action by the president will not succeed in solving the economic and social problems facing the country".
Tunisia's economy has struggled for decades and the Covid-19 pandemic thrust it into even more uncertainty. Mr Saied has less than two months to find nearly $4 billion to repay several foreign loans or risk sending the country into default.
Concerns have also been raised by one of the parties that has consistently backed Mr Saied's course of action. Haykel Mekki of the Echaab party declared his trust in Mr Saied but urged him to form a new parliament.
"There is no democracy without parliament," he said on Express FM.
The country's most powerful civil society organisation, the General Tunisian Worker's Union, or UGTT, issued a statement warning against the "accumulation of powers in the hands of the head of state".
The UGTT said it considered the July 25 move "a historic opportunity to break with a decade that was dominated by failure and stumbling", but that such failure could not be used "as a pretext for bartering between freedom and monopoly of power".
The labour union, which was part of a quartet that won the Nobel Peace Prize for its role in resolving the 2013-2014 political crisis in Tunisia, has called repeatedly for national dialogue in the past year, a proposal the president rejected.
In their statement, they once again invited the president to the table:
"There is no solution to the current crisis other than consultation, partnership and dialogue."
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
BRAZIL SQUAD
Alisson (Liverpool), Daniel Fuzato (Roma), Ederson (Man City); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Emerson (Real Betis), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); David Neres (Ajax), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Richarlison (Everton), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea).
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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More on animal trafficking
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Spec%20sheet
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
