President Kais Saied on Monday said he would call a constitutional referendum next July, a year to the day after he seized broad powers in moves his opponents call a coup, and that parliamentary elections would follow at the end of 2022.
In a televised speech, Saied laid out the timeline for his proposed political changes, according to him, the referendum would take place on July 25, following an online public consultation that will start in January.
Saied’s announcement of a road map out of the crisis has been awaited since he suspended parliament, dismissed the prime minister and assumed executive authority
The referendum date is Tunisia’s Republic Day and the anniversary of his sudden intervention, which has cast doubt on the North African country’s democratic gains since the 2011 revolution that triggered the “Arab Spring” revolts.
Saied in September brushed aside most of the 2014 democratic constitution to say he could rule by decree during a period of exceptional measures and promised dialogue on further changes.
He said in Monday’s speech that parliament would remain suspended until Tunisians vote for a replacement assembly on Dec. 17, 2022, the date he has declared to be the official anniversary of the revolution.
The anniversary had previously been marked on Jan. 14, the date when autocratic ruler Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali fled the country, after an agreement among political factions and civil society groups that took part in the uprising.
“We want to correct the paths of the revolution and history,” Saied said in his speech, after lambasting critics of his intervention.
Saied said he would appoint a committee of experts to draft a new constitution, to be ready by June ahead of the referendum.
A clear pathway to ordinary constitutional order may be important for Tunisia to secure international financial assistance as it struggles to finance its fiscal deficit and next year’s budget as well as debt repayments.
It has opened talks with the International Monetary Fund, but major donors have indicated they are not willing to step in without what they have called an “inclusive” approach.