Kais Saied’s new constitution would formalise his power grab
life Kais Saied might have flunked himself for turning in such shoddy work. Once a constitutional-law professor with a reputation for exactitude, now Tunisia’s president, Mr Saied gave himself a big homework assignment this year: draft a new constitution. As with many a group project, it got going late, leaving his fellow authors just a month to overhaul the existing national charter.
The referendum comes a year to the day after Mr Saied suspended parliament and much of the constitution. He has since taken a sledgehammer to Tunisia’s democratic institutions, seizing control of the electoral commission and sacking judges. He now rules by decree. Though he appointed a prime minister last year, her powers are limited.
This time, no one is even sure who wrote the text. Mr Saied asked for input through an online survey, which fewer than 4% of Tunisians bothered to complete. He named a committee to draft the constitution on May 20th. Its work was due a month later. Sadok Belaid, the law professor who led it, has since denounced the final product. He says Mr Saied’s text differs from what the committee submitted and calls it “dangerous”.
Tunisians need little encouragement to stay at home. Voter turnout has been falling since the revolution, from 68% in the general election of 2014 to 43% in 2019. One poll in May found that only 13% of voters planned to show up for the referendum. But no minimum turnout is required to endorse the new charter.
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