Tunisia: ‘Essebsi responsible for political crisis in the country’

The Democratic Party in Tunisia called on the country’s President Beji Caid Essebsi to assume responsibility for Tunisia’s political crisis and correct the political process.

In a statement, the party’s Secretary-General Ghazi Chaouachi said: “The president must return to the constitution of January 2014, and transfer the issue of renewing confidence in Prime Minister Youssef Chahed to the parliament.”

Article 99 of the Tunisian Constitution provides that “the President of the Republic may ask the Assembly of the Representatives of the People to conduct a vote of confidence in the government on a maximum of two occasions during the entire presidential term. Confidence is voted by the absolute majority of members of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People. In the case of non-renewal of confidence, the government is considered to have resigned. In this case, the President of the Republic asks the person deemed most capable to form a government in a period not exceeding 30 days.”

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Ghazi Chaouachi considered that “the president of the republic is primarily responsible for the political crisis experienced by the country, the continuation of which will deepen the economic crisis and cause more social unrest.”

A week ago, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed acknowledged the existence of a political crisis in the country, and laid the blame at the feet of the son of the president and executive director of the Nidaa Tounes Party, Hafedh Caid Essebsi.

Chahed believes that his government “succeeded in achieving a part of its set objectives, the most important of which is achieving security stability, winning the war against terrorism and improving the investment and tourism sectors.”

“There has been a deviation in the constitutional and political process led by the head of state with the help of the ruling coalition, since the withdrawal of confidence from former PM Habib Essid, the call for signing Carthage Document I, and involving parties not elected by the people in the negotiations and choosing ministers and a new government.”