Politics

Tunisian activists pick holes in new Constitution as it establishes dictatorship under President Saied

Published

2 years ago

July 2, 2022

Tunisian activists have picked holes in the proposed constitution presented to President Kais Saied by a committee he had set up to come up with the draft.

The draft of the constitution which was published in Tunisia’s official gazette late on Thursday, will be voted on in a referendum on July 25, and if passed, will replace the 2014 constitution Saied discarded a year ago after dissolving the parliament.

While dissecting the new draft in debates on social media on Friday, majority of the activists said the new constitution would establish a dictatorship under Saied.

One of the most debated issues in the proposed constitution was the alleged use of ambiguous words in the terms and articles, with particular reference to the use of a word, Taghraa, which the activists claim refers to stamps used by former sultans and kings.

In the context of the new era, the activists claimed that Saied might be referring to ruling the country through presidential decrees.

The Tunisian activists are also worried that the text of the constitution gives Saied ultimate authority over the government and judiciary which stipulates that the government would answer to the president and not to parliament.

The new constitution also allows Saied to present draft laws, have sole responsibility for proposing treaties and drafting state budgets, appoint or sack government ministers and appoint judges.

The president would also serve two terms of five years each, but extend them if he feels there was an imminent danger to the state, and would have the right to dissolve parliament, while no clause allows for the removal of a president.

The proposed constitution also stipulates that the president would be the head of the armed forces and be charged with naming judges, who would be banned from striking, which the activists say would be dangerous to civil rule.

Another issue the activists did not find comfortable was in the first article of the document which removes references to both Islam and the civilian nature of Tunisia, and simply saying that the country is a free, independent and sovereign state.

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Politics

Mali’s junta names spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga new Prime Minister

Published

5 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A day after dismissing Choguel Maiga for criticising the government, Mali’s governing junta named its spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, as Prime Minister on Thursday, according to state broadcaster, ORTM.

A source close to Choguel Maiga told Reuters that the ruling generals were incensed by Maiga’s remarks over the weekend denouncing the junta’s inability to hold elections within the 24-month timeframe given for the return to democracy.

After promising to hold elections in February, the military authorities, who took control in two separate coups in 2020 and 2021, have put off the poll indefinitely, citing technological difficulties.

Choguel Maiga’s firing coincides with indications of growing discontent and disarray among Mali politicians, even those who first supported the coup and collaborated with the junta.

As the wait for elections continues, Choguel Maiga, a civilian prime minister who was installed by the military junta in 2021, is the most recent to lose support.

He was cited on Saturday as claiming he learnt of the junta’s decision via the media and that there had been no discussion regarding the delay of the elections inside the cabinet.

“It’s all happening in total secrecy, without the prime minister’s knowledge,” Choguel Maiga told reporters.

Before then, he had frequently stood up for Mali’s junta against criticism from foreign friends and neighbours in West Africa who denounced its repeated election delays and military collaboration with Russian mercenaries.

As government spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, the new prime minister, has also made strong public remarks against France, the previous colonial master. One such speech was demanding French President Emmanuel Macron to stop his “neocolonial” and “condescending” behaviour.

Abdoulaye Maiga and Assimi Goita, the leaders of the junta, announced they had kept all of the important cabinet ministers in their portfolios in the new administration in a statement that was broadcast on state television ORTM.

The announcement said that Abdoulaye Maiga will remain minister of territory administration.

Politics

Congo opposition mobilizes protests against constitution review

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In response to President Felix Tshisekedi’s intentions to amend the constitution, opposition lawmakers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have called for national protests on Wednesday.

Tshisekedi, who was sworn in for his second and last term in January, said that a panel would be formed in October to recommend possible constitutional amendments.

According to critics, it may be a ploy to lift term restrictions and give him another chance to run.

Tshisekedi said the current constitution, ratified by a referendum in 2005, needed to change because it did not align with the country’s current realities.

Opposition politicians, including former president Joseph Kabila and past presidential candidates Martin Fayulu and Moise Katumbi, issued a unified statement on Wednesday urging rallies to “block” Tshisekedi.

A request for a response from the Congo’s presidency was not answered.

Patrick Muyaya, the minister of communications, stated on Monday that discussions surrounding the constitutional revision should be de-politicized and that no one should doubt the president’s intentions.

“We’re at the beginning of our mandate… The President of the Republic still has four years to go, and we must avoid attributing intentions to him,” Muyaya told reporters.