Tunisia: democracy activists criticise Italian involvement

The general coordinator of the Swiss Initiative to Support Democracy in Tunisia has criticised President Kais Saied and his involvement with the Italian government led by right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

“Meloni is only focusing on migration and is pushing Saied to play the role of a regional policeman to protect the Italian and EU border,” said Anouar Gharbi. “This encourages Saied to continue to repress the Tunisian people, media, judges, lawyers, politicians and human rights activists.” Meloni and her government, he added, are seeking the best option for them. “They should not be allowed to pay the current isolated regime in Tunisia to do Rome’s dirty work.”

According to Gharbi, the Tunisian people are not selling their country and President Saied is not representing Tunisia’s interests. “Tunisia has been a remarkable demonstration of democracy, not just for the region, but also for the world. Today we have serious concerns about deviating from that democratic map. The focus must be to get the Tunisian constitution and official institutions operational again.”

Tunisians, the Geneva-based activist asserted, are suffering terribly under the current regime and its way of handling the challenging economic and security crises affecting the North African country.

“The people of Tunisia need a recognised government and parliament to be responsive to their needs and able to represent them in the international arena,” he said. “That has to happen in a way that is consistent with and respectful of the 2014 constitution and legal institutions which are today all controlled by Saied and his family. We urge the president and the state institutions to make sure that Tunisia returns to the democratic path as quickly as possible.”

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