“The extraordinary measures are aimed at protecting the state from tampering and reflect popular will,” Tunisian President Kais Said said during a meeting with a delegation of two U.S. senators.
Saied met with U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and John Ossoff at the presidential palace during their visit to Tunisia yesterday (Saturday).
Saied said in a statement issued by the Tunisian presidency that the extraordinary measures announced on July 25 “fall within the framework of full respect for the constitution, contrary to the false allegations and fabrications he promotes.”
“It reflects a broad popular will and aims to protect the Tunisian state from all attempts to tamper with it,” the president said, according to the German news agency DPA.
The Tunisian president had earlier announced the extension of extraordinary measures, including continuing to freeze parliament until further notice without disclosing his phase management programme.
Said repeatedly reiterated that there would be no turning back amid expectations that he would introduce political reforms likely to affect the system of government and electoral law, as well as early elections to produce a new parliament.
Parties in parliament, including ennahda’s largest party, accuse the president of running a coup d’état and monopolizing the authorities, while human rights organizations have criticized the forced house arrest of people including businessmen, judges, deputies and officials and travel restrictions on anti-corruption claims.
But Saied spoke (Saturday) of “ambiguities” and denied masterminding a coup. “A coup can only be outside constitutional legitimacy,” he said in the presence of the two members of Congress. “I used a constitutional provision to keep the state from the imminent and perched danger to the country and the state.”
Saied said: “I ask our American friends to listen to the pulse of the street and how tunisians came out on July 25th clapping with joy as if a nightmare was perched on their chests and removed from their breath.”
Influential countries, including France and the United States, had earlier urged the President to put forward a road map and manage a national dialogue on constitutional and economic reforms.
“Tunisia is a sovereign and sovereign state for the Tunisian people,” said Saied, who has made veiled accusations against his opponents of feeding external pressures in the presence of the two congressmen.
Senator Chris Murphy tweeted after meeting Said: “I urged the President to quickly return to the democratic path and quickly end the state of emergency(exceptional situation).”
“The only interest of the United States is to protect and promote a healthy democracy and economy for Tunisians… We do not prefer one party over another and we have no interest in pushing one reform agenda over another… These issues are decided by Tunisians.”
Adapted from Asharq Al Awsat
Translated by Rifi-JDD
