Labour union warns Tunisia heading to 'disintegration'

The Assistant Secretary-General of the Tunisian General Labor Union, Sami Tahiri, called for the speedy formation of a government and warned against heading towards a “no state or dismantle state” scenario.

Tahiri said in a post on his Facebook account on Wednesday evening: “An emergency government, a unity government, a technocratic government, an administrative government, a management government, you name it, the important thing is a government in which a team and a team leader coordinate and harmonise, and then the paths are clear before it.” He added: “Otherwise, we are moving towards no state … to disintegration.”

This comes as Tunisian President Kais Saied said on Wednesday that the Tunisian state will be the victim of the current “political pandemic”, if it continues.

READ: Tunisia president urges security to handle protests according to the law

On 25 July, Tunisian President Kais Saied cited Article 80 of the constitution to dismiss Prime Minister Hicham Mechichi, freeze the work of parliament for 30 days, lift the immunity of ministers, and appoint himself as head of the executive authority until the formation of a new government.

This comes after violent protests broke out in several Tunisian cities criticising the government’s handling of the economy and the coronavirus. Demonstrators had called for parliament to be dissolved.

he majority of the country’s political parties slammed the move as a “coup against the constitution” and the achievements of the 2011 revolution.

Saied has not appointed a new prime minister.