Tunisia President rejects foreign meddling, asserts sovereignty
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Following US blatant meddling, President Kais Saied affirms that Tunisia is a free, independent, and sovereign country.
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Tunisian President Kais Saied
Tunisian President Kais Saied said on Friday he refuted "any form of foreign meddling," affirming that Tunisia is a free, independent, and sovereign country.
Saied asserted during a meeting with his Foreign Minister the independence of the national decision and his rejection of any form of interference in national affairs, as per a statement on the presidential Facebook page.
The "only voice is the voice of the people," he added.
Tunisia enjoys equal sovereignty compared to other states based on the principles of international law, he added.
Earlier, Tunisia’s President stated that the new constitution is an extension of a "correctional course" that began on July 25, 2021.
The President’s statement comes after the US State Department said it "shared concerns" over the referendum vote which took place on Monday.
“Tunisia’s July 25 constitutional referendum was marked by low voter participation. We share the concerns expressed by many Tunisians that the process of drafting the new constitution limited the scope for genuine debate and also that the new constitution could weaken Tunisia’s democracy and erode respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Thursday morning.
“Tunisia has experienced an alarming erosion of democratic norms over the past year and reversed many of the Tunisian people’s hard-won gains since 2011,” he added.
The statement went on to say that “an inclusive and transparent reform process is crucial going forward to begin to restore the confidence of the millions of Tunisians who either did not participate in the referendum or opposed the new constitution."
After Saied suspended Tunisia's parliament in July 2021, "the US spoke with the president and issued a statement in which Secretary Blinken stated that Washington would "continue to monitor the situation and stay engaged."
Since the referendum, several US senators and members of Congress have blatantly issued statements condemning the results and the Tunisian President.
