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Ennahda calls for dialogue to resolve Tunisia’s political crisis – Al Jazeera English

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3 years ago

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Tunis, Tunisia – Tunisia’s largest political party has called for dialogue to resolve the political crisis, changing tact after initially urging MPs and its supporters to protest outside parliament in the capital Tunis on Monday.

In a statement published on Tuesday, the Islamist Ennahda party reiterated that they considered President Saied’s decision to suspend parliament and sack the prime minister as “unconstitutional”, but took a more conciliatory approach, calling on Saied to reverse the measures.

Tunisia, touted as a success story of the 2010 Arab Spring revolutions, is facing deep political uncertainty after the president froze parliament for 30 days and fired Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi amid rising COVID cases and a faltering economy.

Mechichi on Monday night announced he would hand over responsibility to whomever the president chooses “to avoid any further blockage at a time when the country needs to join forces to get out of this crisis situation on all levels”.

Saied’s decisions came after anti-government protests took place across the country, prompted by the government’s mismanagement of the COVID-19 crisis but also rooted in the country’s economic stagnation, rising living costs and frustration with a political class embroiled in infighting.

The president’s decision was met with jubilation, with tens of thousands of Tunisians hitting the streets across the north African nation. The Ennahda party flags were burnt and the party offices were targeted in some parts of the country.

‘A position of containment’

Initially, Rachid Ghannouchi, the speaker of parliament and leader of Ennahda, called on MPs and supporters to stage a sit-in outside parliament denouncing the president’s “coup” after many MPs were denied access to parliament by the army on Monday.

Rached Ghannouchi speaker of parliament and leader of Ennahda initially called on MPs and supporters to stage a sit-in outside parliament [File: Fethi Belaid/AFP]

A couple of hundred protesters gathered on Monday; however, the turnout was limited and mixed, with groups there to support the president’s decision and others to oppose the move.

“They moved to a position of containment, not opposition as it was in the first place,” said Hamza Meddeb, analyst at the Carnegie Middle East Centre, adding that the number of supporters that came out was lower than Ennahda had hoped.

“Confrontation in the streets would be costly and bloody and will delegitimise them so they are choosing political channels but keeping their position to reject the decision,” he told Al Jazeera.

On Monday, the president decreed a night-time curfew from 7pm to 6am local time and a ban on gatherings of more than three people, which means that protesters could risk confrontation with security forces.

Supporters of Ennahda, take cover from stones thrown at them by supporters of President Kais Saied, outside the parliament building in Tunis, Tunisia on July 26, 2021 [Zoubeir Souissi/REUTERS]

Throughout Monday, Saied issued a number of presidential decrees, dismissing the defence minister and acting minister of justice, and stopping the work of administrations for two days with a possible extension.

Saied spent the day meeting with representatives from various civil society groups and unions, as well as representatives of the judicial councils.

The offices of Al Jazeera were raided on Monday and its keys confiscated, a decision condemned by the Qatar-based Network. Al Jazeera Media Network in a statement said it viewed the raid as “an attack on press freedom”.

The powerful workers union, the UGTT, came out in support of Saied but underlined that there must be guarantees that these exceptional measures will be limited and not become permanent.

For now, the majority of political parties have criticised Saied’s move as unconstitutional, including the coalition of Ennahda, Karama Coalition and Qalb Tounes, as well as the centrist Democratic Current, which tended to align itself with the president in the stretched out political conflict with the prime minister and his backers in parliament.

The president says that his actions are constitutional under Article 80 of the constitution, which allows the president to take any measures in the event of “imminent danger” after consultation with the presidents of government and parliament.

But many view his actions as exceeding the limitations of the constitution.

“Suspending parliament doesn’t square well [with article 80] but in the absence of a constitutional court, it is the president that interprets. He is the guarantor of rights and of the constitution,” said Amna Guellali, deputy regional director for Amnesty International, adding that whether or not it is constitutional does not matter as much as who holds the power on the ground.

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RFK Jr. says Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water. ‘It’s possible,’ Trump says

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19 hours ago

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November 4, 2024

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PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office if elected president.

Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.

Kennedy made the declaration Saturday on the social media platform X alongside a variety of claims about the heath effects of fluoride.

“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S​. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to Make America Healthy Again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and links to Kennedy.

Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he had not spoken to Kennedy about fluoride yet, “but it sounds OK to me. You know it’s possible.”

The former president declined to say whether he would seek a Cabinet role for Kennedy, a job that would require Senate confirmation, but added, “He’s going to have a big role in the administration.”

Asked whether banning certain vaccines would be on the table, Trump said he would talk to Kennedy and others about that. Trump described Kennedy as “a very talented guy and has strong views.”

The sudden and unexpected weekend social media post evoked the chaotic policymaking that defined Trump’s White House tenure, when he would issue policy declarations on Twitter at virtually all hours. It also underscored the concerns many experts have about Kennedy, who has long promoted debunked theories about vaccine safety, having influence over U.S. public health.

In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.

Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, that can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in U.S. kids.

In August, a federal agency determined “with moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.

A federal judge later cited that study in ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be. He ordered the EPA to take steps to lower that risk, but didn’t say what those measures should be.

In his X post Saturday, Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the plaintiff in that lawsuit, the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch.

Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization has a lawsuit pending against news organizations including The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy is on leave from the group but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.

What role Kennedy might hold if Trump wins on Tuesday remains unclear. Kennedy recently told NewsNation that Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies under the Department of Agriculture.

But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of Trump’s top surrogates. Trump frequently mentions having the support of Kennedy, a scion of a Democratic dynasty and the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.

Kennedy traveled with Trump Friday and spoke at his rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Trump said Saturday that he told Kennedy: “You can work on food, you can work on anything you want” except oil policy.

“He wants health, he wants women’s health, he wants men’s health, he wants kids, he wants everything,” Trump added.

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Danielle Smith receives overwhelming support at United Conservative Party convention

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19 hours ago

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November 4, 2024

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Danielle Smith receives overwhelming support at United Conservative Party convention

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America’s Election: What it Means to Canadians

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3 days ago

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November 2, 2024

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Americans and Canadians are cousins that is true. Allies today but long ago people were at loggerheads mostly because of the British Empire and American ambitions.

Canadians appreciate our cousins down south enough to visit them many millions of times over the year. America is Canada’s largest and most important trading partner. As a manufacturer, I can attest to this personally. My American clients have allowed our firm to grow and prosper over the past few decades. There is a problem we have been seeing, a problem where nationalism, both political and economic has been creating a roadblock to our trade relationship.

Both Democrats and Republicans have shown a willingness to play the “buy only American Made product” card, a sounding board for all things isolationist, nationalistic and small-mindedness. We all live on this small planet, and purchase items made from all over the world. Preferences as to what to buy and where it is made are personal choices, never should they become a platform of national pride and thuggery. This has brought fear into the hearts of many Canadians who manufacture for and service the American Economy in some way. This fear will be apparent when the election is over next week.

Canadians are not enemies of America, but allies and friends with a long tradition of supporting our cousins back when bad sh*t happens. We have had enough of the American claim that they want free trade, only to realize that they do so long as it is to their benefit. Tariffs, and undue regulations applied to exporters into America are applied, yet American industry complains when other nations do the very same to them. Seriously! Democrats have said they would place a preference upon doing business with American firms before foreign ones, and Republicans wish to tariff many foreign nations into oblivion. Rhetoric perhaps, but we need to take these threats seriously. As to you the repercussions that will come should America close its doors to us.

Tit for tat neighbors. Tariff for tariff, true selfish competition with no fear of the American Giant. Do you want to build homes in America? Over 33% of all wood comes from Canada. Tit for tat. Canada’s mineral wealth can be sold to others and place preference upon the highest bidder always. You know who will win there don’t you America, the deep-pocketed Chinese.

Reshaping our alliances with others. If America responds as has been threatened, Canadians will find ways to entertain themselves elsewhere. Imagine no Canadian dollars flowing into the Northern States, Florida or California? The Big Apple without its friendly Maple Syrup dip. Canadians will realize just how significant their spending is to America and use it to our benefit, not theirs.

Clearly we will know if you prefer Canadian friendship to Donald Trumps Bravado.

China, Saudi Arabia & Russia are not your friends in America. Canada, Japan, Taiwan the EU and many other nations most definitely are. Stop playing politics, and carry out business in an unethical fashion. Treat allies as they should be treated.

Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
skaszab@yahoo.ca

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