Tunisia National Salvation Front calls for a salvation government through national dialogue

On Sunday, the National Salvation Front in Tunisia (NSFT) accused President Kais Saied of “individuality in decision-making”, and it warned that this situation “will exacerbate the socio-economic crises,” calling for the formation of a “salvation government through national dialogue”.

This came during a popular gathering organised by the NSFT in the Tataouine governorate (south), in the presence of NSFT’s leaders, Ahmed Najib Chebbi, Jawhar Ben Mubarak and Shaimaa Issa, in addition to dozens of its supporters, under the slogan, “For the return of democracy, and to defend the economic and social rights”.

The Front was announced on 31 May, and it includes five parties: the Ennahda movement, Heart of Tunisia, the Dignity Coalition, the Movement Party and Al Amal, and the “Citizens against the Coup” campaign and a number of MPs.

The Head of the Front, Ahmed Najib Chebbi, said, “Since the date of the coup, President (Saied) has destroyed all democratic institutions in the country, such as the Parliament, the Judiciary and the regularity institutions.”

Chebbi continued: “For more than a year and a half, we have not seen any signs to save the country from its economic and social crises, which are exacerbating daily.”

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He emphasised that “the solution to these crises is mainly political, through the formation of a salvation government that will be formed through a national dialogue.”

“The legitimate Parliament elected via poll was closed by putting a tank in front of its doors before the government was dissolved, and the hand of the decision owner (refers to President Saied) gripped the Judiciary and the various institutions of the democratic state,” Chebbi added.

He went on: “The current government is promoting that the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will solve Tunisia’s problems, which is not true. The loan, which negotiations are continuing to approve it, will not be feasible during the absence of economic reforms and addressing the high cost of living.”

For his part, the leader, Jawhar Ben Mubarak, said, “The agreement with the IMF included commitments from the coup government, which Tunisian women and men will pay a high price for these commitments, although their opinion was not taken into consideration and they were not involved in these negotiations. Such commitments include transforming the public institutions (selling them to the private sector)”.