Tunisia’s biggest opposition party, the Islamist Ennahda, has condemned President Kais Saied’s decision to dissolve parliament and said it will boycott any referendum he holds to unilaterally rebuild the country’s democratic system.
On Thursday, News Central TV reported that Tunisia’s President dissolved the country’s parliament eight months after suspension.
Ennahda would only participate in a referendum if Saied launched nationwide consultations on his political reforms, according to parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi.
When Saied dismissed parliament, ignored the democratic 2014 constitution, and proceeded to govern by decree last summer, Ghannouchi accused him of staging a coup.
“We are confident the Tunisian people… will not accept individual rule and will not accept an alternative to democracy,” Ghannouchi told newsmen at Ennahda’s Tunis headquarters.
At least 20 parliament members who took part in the session, including from Ennahda, have been summoned for investigation by an anti-terrorism unit, Ghannouchi said.
“The move to dissolve the parliament deepens the political crisis and poses a greater threat to the economic situation and will destroy institutions,” Ghannouchi said, labelling Saied’s promise of a referendum on a new constitution “theatre”.
“We will not participate in a theatre piece devoid of democratic content and we expect many (other) parties to boycott it too,” Ghannouchi said.
Saied has stated that the referendum will take place in July, followed by legislative elections in December, but he has not included any other political or civil society organisations in the writing of the new constitution or stated what it will contain.
Ghannouchi reiterated his demand for Saied to have a “national dialogue,” which has been asked by other major leaders but which the president has yet to deliver.
Despite his rejection of Saied’s dissolution of parliament, Ghannouchi stated that the president should organise new elections within three months rather than wait until after imposing a new constitution.
Ennahda is Tunisia’s largest political party, with the largest national organisation, albeit its popularity has declined in recent years as a result of its participation in unsuccessful coalition governments.
“We will coordinate with the opposition to respond collectively to the president’s steps to restore democracy… Ennahda is still big and it can gather people on the streets,” Ghannouchi said.