Politics

Tunisian President Saied sets up committee to write ‘New Republic’ constitution

Published

3 years ago

May 3, 2022

Tunisian President Kais Saied has set in motion a process to form a committee that will write a ‘New Republic’ constitution for the country currently going through political turmoil, adding that the committee will conclude its work within a few days.

President Saied, in a televised speech on Monday night, said he is rewriting the North African country’s democratic constitution which was introduced after the 2011 revolution, stressing that he will put the rewritten constitution to a referendum in July.

Saied added that a national dialogue on reforms will include four major organisations in the country comprising the UGTT Labour Union, the Lawyers Union, the Federation of Industry and Trade and the Tunisian League of Human Rights.

Saied said his actions were legal and what is needed to save Tunisia from a crisis, and by rewriting the constitution, he was taking steps to focus on restructuring Tunisian political structure.

Saied’s seizure of powers in 2021 had initially been welcome by many Tunisian citizens and was very popular before he angered most of Tunisia’s political establishment by dismissing the parliament and taking control of the judiciary.

Last month, Saied also seized control of the country’s election commission after he sacked the body and named his loyalists as members with himself as the head of the commission.

The move has been seen as a blow to the democratic gains of the country’s 2011 revolution and meant to stifle dissenting voices by opposition groups

Meanwhile, the country is going through an economic crisis which has caused economic stagnation and governmental paralysis as the government has been struggling to finance its 2022 deficit and repay foreign debts.

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Politics

Mali’s junta names spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga new Prime Minister

Published

11 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.