Tunisia: Ex-president says country witnessing struggle for power

Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki has criticised what he considered to be a “fight for power” in the country between the president and the parliament, warning that this would negatively affect the country’s stability.

In a post on Facebook, Marzouki commented on Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi’s remarks that the country’s president’s role is “symbolic”, saying: “So, the Parliament Speaker considers that we are in a parliamentary system and the president of the republic elected by the people is just a symbol!”

“So the President of the Republic also sees that the political system is dysfunctional and that he has the right to intervene with the formation and functioning of the government, in addition to saying that the parliament is the problem and it is not representing the people who assume the responsibility for their choices.”

Marzouki added: “The most terrible aspect about the situation is not faking ignorance of the provisions of the constitution, but rather the disregard for its content as the only document that is discussed, disputed, and accepted by the representatives of the people for the first time in our history, and that it was accepted as a compromise between the different parties, as is always the case in a pluralist society, in order to avoid tyranny.”

READ: On the 10th anniversary of the revolution Marzouki warns of return of dictatorship

Tunisia is witnessing a political and constitutional crisis, as President Kais Saied refuses to allow newly-appointed government members to swear their oath of office, justifying his decision using the suspicions of corruption which have surrounded some ministers.

Many believe that the new ministers are unable to start work before taking the oath of office before the president, while others believe they can assume their duties as they have the trust of parliament.