Tunisia's new constitution comes into effect

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The Tunisian Electoral Commission announced the approval of the new constitution and its entry into force as of Tuesday, adding that this was after President Kais Saied promulgated it and it was published in the Official Gazette.

"The constitution comes into force with the announcement of the final results, its promulgation by the president and its publication in the official journal," Commission chief Farouk Bouasker said on Tuesday.

He said the fact that appeals against the referendum process had been rejected "confirmed the integrity and transparency of ISIE," the North African country's electoral commission.

With the Independent High Authority for Elections announcement of the final results of the referendum, the constitution of July 25, 2022, will enter into force as per the provisions of its 139 Chapter, which stipulates that the constitution shall enter into force from the date of the final referendum announcement by the Independent High Authority for Elections.

The Commission officially accepted the new constitution of the Republic of Tunisia, after completing the preliminary and appellate decisions on the appeals, provided that its full text will be published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Tunisia within the next few hours.

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The Tunisian Electoral Commission announced on July 26 that the final results of the referendum showed that 94.6% of votes (2,607,884) were in favor, while 5.40% of votes (148,723) were against.

Officials indicated that the total number of voters amounted to 2,830,094, while the number of canceled votes reached 56,479, and blank votes amounted to 17,008.

النتائج الأولية لاستفتاء 25 جويلية 🇹🇳🗳#TnReferendum22 pic.twitter.com/8KjVZ2Qtwv

— ISIE (@ISIETN) July 26, 2022

Tunisians voted in a referendum on a new constitution that would further expand President Kais Saied’s powers.

The President would be able to serve two five-year terms but could extend them if an imminent threat to the state is perceived, granting the head of state the authority to dissolve parliament. No clause allows for the impeachment of the President

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The new draft replaces the country's 2014 constitution, expanding the head of state's authority and providing him with a broad range of powers that is not limited to defense and foreign affairs as is currently the case.

The President of the Republic carries out executive functions with help from the government, whose chief would be appointed by the President and not subject to confidence votes in parliament.

Meanwhile, Tunisia is facing an impending economic crisis and is seeking an IMF bailout package — factors that have troubled ordinary people far more than the political crises over the past year.