Tunisia's Ennahda calls for boycotting vote on new constitution

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The Ennahda movement in Tunisia declared, on Thursday, that it would abstain from the referendum this month on a revised version of the nation's constitution.

On his account, Ennahda spokesperson Emad Al-Houmairi described the July 25 referendum on the new constitution as “illegitimate.”

“Ennahda calls for boycotting the constitutional referendum and considers it illegitimate, illegal and issued by a coup authority,” he told reporters.

He went on to say that the draft constitution “will undermine the pillars of the civil state and law and paves the way for an autocracy.”

On July 1, Tunisian President Kais Saied published the new constitution that will be the subject of the upcoming referendum.

The Tunisian Government Gazette noted that the new constitution involves a change of the country's political regime to a presidential system, which gives additional powers to the president.

It also noted that this constitution will limit the role of parliament, with the exception of its role in monitoring the president and government.

President Saied, the gazette said, will continue to rule by decrees until a new parliament is elected in December.

In addition, the new constitution prevents the judiciary from going on strike, while also guaranteeing the freedom of thought, opinion, press, congregation, and publishing.

The proposed constitution says the position of president is a right for every Tunisian that does not hold a different nationality, the president may only renew his candidacy for one additional term, and the president will be the one exercising executive power with the assistance of a government headed by a prime minister.