Tunisia – Saied’s opposition insists low turnout makes new constitution “illegitimate”

Location: Tunis – Tunisia

Language: Arabic

Duration: 00:04:44

Sound: natural

Source: A24 in Tunisia

Restrictions: A24 subscribers

Date: 27/07/ 2022

Storyline:

Charging election officials loyal to President Kais Saied added nearly half a million “yes” votes to ballot boxes after polls closed Monday- Tunisia’s opposition parties insisted the new constitution is illegitimate at a joint press conference Wednesday.

The five Tunisian parties rejected referendum results announced by the Tunisian High Authority for Elections and accused it of manipulating numbers.

They insisted that even if the figures were correct, the draft constitution submitted to the referendum was void due to the boycott of the referendum by 75% of the public.

Election officials appointed by Saied announced yesterday that 95% of the voters approved the constitution in Monday’s balloting and claimed the 30.5%.  turnout  reached the needed threshold for adoption.

Boycotted by a large segment of Tunisians, the new governance framework hands President Saeid extensive powers, including shifting decisions to the executive away from the parliament.

The vote was held on the one year anniversary of Saied’s dismissal of an elected parliament and establishment of one-person emergency rule.

President Saeid’s supporters say the opposition parties turned the previously elected parliament  into a theater for political grandstanding.

But his opposition insists the lowest participation rate of Tunisians compared to any of the three previous elections held since the 2011 uprising is a sign of a “sham democracy” orchestrated by Saeid’s referendum. 

Shotlist:

– Soundbite (Khalil Al-Zawiya – Ettakatol Party):

“We in coordination with participating parties are part of the anti-referendum campaign. We rejected this entire process and called for boycotting the referendum. We were right to do so, which was proven through the fact that the referendum is legally void. It is vital that democratic powers work together in unity to get back on the right track of a democratic Tunisia, which is home to the modern democratic Arab revolution that needs to be preserved.”

– Soundbite (Issam Chebbi – Republican Party):

“The participation rate was about 27%, which means that almost 75% of Tunisians refused to participate in this farce, the farce of the referendum. However, the electoral commission attempted to rectify the situation and added 400,000 to the total number of voters after polling stations were closed. Such an act was not committed even during the era of dictatorship. It is evident that the entire process is a way of falsifying the will of the Tunisians, and a way of moving towards a constitution that undermines democracy and cancels the separation of and balance between powers. The process was carried out in a haphazardly manner, many mistakes were made. We denounce the results of the referendum.”

– Soundbite (Ghazi Al-Shawashi – Democratic Current Party):

“We as progressive democratic parties decided, after reviewing the results of the referendum and following the entire process of the  electoral campaign, to reject this referendum and its results. We decided to denounce this new constitution. The percentage of votes is not enough to implement this constitution. The president should admit the referendum is void. He should come to the conclusion that in order to save face he should submit his resignation, and take a no-confidence vote again in early presidential elections. This is the moral solution in our opinion, which would give the president the chance to prove he is an honorable man to the Tunisian public. It is unacceptable to impose on us a new constitution with minority votes in a referendum of questionable credibility.”

– Soundbite (Riad Jarad – Democratic Modernist Pole):

“Today, the electoral commission itself announced a review of the numbers, and this is a major scandal that affects democratic and electoral process. In addition to the President’s incendiary speech on electoral silence day, during which he called his rivals traitors. We denounce the results of the referendum.”