Tunisian political parties considered that the calls for the return of the suspended parliament’s activity are nothing but a maneuver to embarrass and escalate President Kais Saied, amid an acknowledgment that the legislative institution has ended popularly, at a time when other parties are calling for the need for dialogue between the components of the scene.
The head of the National Reform Bloc in Parliament, Hassouna Nasfi, considered that the calls for the return of the crippled parliament may take the country to conflicts, division and strife, calling for the necessity of adopting an approach of dialogue and prudence in order to overcome the current crisis.
Nasfi said in a radio statement, “Talking about the possibility of Parliament resuming its activity at the beginning of October falls within the framework of the escalation of the crisis in the country, despite our keenness to return to the rule of law and institutions, respect for legitimacy and the constitution, and thinking about the real problems that Tunisia is experiencing.”
“I think that this situation falls within the framework of an escalation of the crisis and cannot be a solution, because the solution in Tunisia can only be through dialogue and prudence, and for everyone to review, including political parties and national organizations,” he added.
Nasfi warned that the return of Parliament or organizing a public session “may take the country to conflicts, division and sedition,” saying, “I am against all confrontational solutions and I prefer rational and responsible solutions that respect constitutional legitimacy.”
“I think it is a political maneuver to pressure for the return of dialogue,” said Naji Jalloul, head of the Tunisian National Coalition Party. “Returning dialogue without returning parliament is a recognition of legitimacy.”
He added, “In all cases, if it is an escalation or a maneuver, it is a dangerous thing, because Parliament is frozen, and any move represents a threat to Tunisian national security.”
He continued, “They are protesting because they consider that what President Kais Saied has done is illegitimate and an infringement of the constitution, but the very aim of this move is to embarrass the president internally and externally because Parliament has not been dissolved.”
Jalloul noted, “The situation has become complicated because there is a new government, and the only solution is to return to the dialogue table with concessions, but the biggest loser is the Tunisian people,” noting that “concessions must come from parliamentarians and the Ennahda movement, because the popular momentum today is with President Saied.”
He continued, “The people have rejected the system and the parliament has lost its popular legitimacy, and instead of clinging to a corpse, we have to engage in dialogue and advance.”
Some deputies considered that these calls were useless in light of the popular end of Parliament after the Tunisians uttered it, stressing that the goal of this move is to escalate with the president in an attempt to block the way to open corruption files.
Commenting on the movement of his colleagues, the leader of the People’s Movement and Parliamentary Member Badreddine Gammoudi said, “Personally, I do not give value to this movement, for several reasons, the most important of which is that Parliament has ended popularly, and we are in the shadow of a frozen parliament, and therefore talking about the return is meaningless, but only to attract attention, inside and outside”.
