Tunisia: 60 associations call for ‘real’ national dialogue for all parties

Sixty civil and human rights associations in Tunisia called on Friday to accelerate carrying out a “genuine participatory national dialogue” that encompasses all parties in the country.

According to Anadolu Agency’s reporter, this came in a press conference in Tunis, with the participation of representatives of 60 associations, including the Tunisian Association for the Support of Minorities, Volunteers and Dami.

“We cannot head towards the path of saving Tunisia from its crises without providing an opportunity for debate between political and civil actors. The right to participate in this dialogue is not a debatable matter,” the associations announced in a joint statement.

The statement added: “We want a well-defined dialogue with a clear framework.”

In his statement to Anadolu Agency, Emad Zouari, representative of the National Observatory for Defence of the Right to Difference, shared: “The meeting of these different associations is an expression of our position of the absence of dialogue. President Kais Saied announced the launching of a national dialogue, but so far, no dialogue has begun. The dialogue must not be selective, rather it must gather various political and civilian actors to be effective in contributing to identifying the features of the future stage.”

Zouari asserted the necessity of announcing the frameworks for the dialogue by Saied: “We are not prepared to be false witnesses since this dialogue is like a play, then to find ourselves before a referendum and elections that we were not consulted about.”

The head of the Volunteers association Omar Wesleti urged: “The participation of civil society must be genuine in any dialogue that may take place. The dialogue frameworks must be determined to find a solution to the crisis that Tunisia is witnessing. We call on the president to listen to these voices and sincere calls.”

The Tunisian presidency has not issued any comment on the demands by the associations for dialogue. However, President Saied announced on Monday: “The dialogue has already been launched for the preparation of a referendum, to hold legislative elections in December 2022.”

Since 25 July, 2021, Tunisia has witnessed a political crisis when Saied imposed exceptional measures, including dissolving Parliament and the Supreme Judicial Council and issuing legislation by presidential decrees.

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