Following his removal from the presidency on Sunday, Hichem Mechichi, now the former Tunisian prime minister, said he was ready to step down. As for the main party in parliament, Ennahdha, which supports him, he condemned a coup, but after a political bureau was held that evening, he is now calling for early elections.
The Ennahdha party, the main party in parliament, says it is ready “to hold legislative and presidential elections at the same time to ensure the protection of the democratic process, and this,” Ennahdha says, to prevent any delay being used as a pretext to uphold it. democratic process. for an autocratic regime. “The Islamist party still continues to condemn”a cup against the constitution and the institutions. “The party’s leader, Rached Ghannouchi, camped for 12 hours on Monday in front of parliament, cordoned off by the army, to demand access.
For his part, Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi accepts for his first speech since the announcement of his dismissal the decision of the head of state, Kaïs Saïed, to dismiss him. “I will make sure that power is handed over to the person who will be appointed by the President of the Republic,” he explained.
President Kaïs Saïed He met last night with members of the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT), an influential central trade union that supports him, as well as representatives of the Human Rights Union and employers. He goes on to say that his decisions are unconstitutional. Earlier today, the president fired Defense Minister Ibrahim Bartagi and government spokesman Hasna Ben Slimane, also the Minister of Civil Administration and Acting Minister of Justice.
An economic situation burdened by Covid-19
The recent increase in cases of pandemics has focused on the scale of the economic crisis that Tunisia is experiencing: lack of medical equipment and oxygen, saturated hospitals …
The country has benefited from international solidarity, in particular oxygen and 500,000 doses of vaccines from France to speed up its campaign. Lots of medical supplies have also arrived from the Middle East and neighboring countries such as Algeria and Egypt.
Not enough to calm the dissatisfaction of Tunisians who thunder on the sidewalk to criticize the lack of anticipation for the pandemic. The scale of the new wave of Covid-19 contamination visibly exceeds Tunisia’s ability to cope. This outbreak in the heart of the summer destroyed all hopes of a recovery in tourism, which normally represents 12% of GDP.
Already last year, Tunisia registered an 8.8% recession, which was already a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The country’s public debt now accounts for more than 100% of GDP.
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