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.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
