Adel Brinsi, a member of the Independent High Electoral Commission (JD Tunisie), confirmed Saturday (September 11, 2021) that the Board of the Commission has not discussed any scenario related to a referendum or premature legislative elections.
He explained that the constitutional bodies do not interact with mere press statements, especially since the adviser to the President of the Republic builds his statements on the mere expectations using the phrase “maybe” in his press releases, as he put it.
Adel added that the commission interacts only with the official positions issued by the Presidency of the Republic, while the commission has not received any official position in the direction of requesting preparation for any referendum or early elections, pointing out that the commission works only under legal frameworks and the official position of the presidency will be discussed legally in the event of its issuance in order to preserve the credibility of the commission and its results in the event of going to a referendum.
Brinsi pointed out that the commission is always ready for all possibilities, if the go to a popular referendum or legislative elections is approved, it will be in the size of the role and will secure the full course, he said.
President Walid al-Hajjam’s advisor told Reuters on Thursday evening that there was a tendency to change Tunisia’s political system, possibly through a referendum.
This presupposes the suspension of the Constitution and the issuance of an interim system of powers, and he stressed that this is the President’s plan and that it is in its final stages and is expected to be officially announced soon.
On the other hand, these statements were denounced and rejected by a number of political parties and figures, who considered them a blow to the democratic process, “The current constitution has become a major obstacle, and it is supposed to be suspended and a temporary system of powers is put in place,” al-Hajjam said.
In a statement on Friday, September 10, 2021, the Democratic Movement asked the President to clarify his position on these statements, reminding him of the need to respect the Constitution and work within its chapters, in keeping with what he pledged in his speech to the people on July 25, and the constitutional oath he made.
Rifi-JDD
