Tunisians approve a new constitution that undermines democracy

The charter, adopted by referendum, cements the near absolute power that President Kais Saied has seized over the past year as he ruled primarily by decree.< /p>

Tunisians have approved a new constitution that cements the one-man rule instituted by President Kais Saied over the past year , according to the results of a referendum released on Tuesday, dealing a body blow to a democracy built with immense effort and high hopes after the overthrow of the country's dictator more than a decade ago.

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Tunisia, where the Arab Spring uprisings began more than a decade ago, was internationally hailed as the only democracy to survive the revolts that swept the region. But that chapter effectively ended with the adoption of the new charter, which enshrines the near-absolute power that Mr Saied bestowed on himself a year ago when he suspended parliament and sacked his prime minister. /p>

Nevertheless, Monday's referendum was undermined by mass boycotts, voter apathy and a configuration heavily tilted towards Mr Saied. The Constitution was approved by 94.6% of voters, according to results released by the electoral authority. the country are showing the importance of this moment,” Saied said in an address to cheering supporters in downtown Tunis hours after the polls closed. “Today marks a new chapter of hope and turns the page on poverty, despair and injustice. But the new constitution will return Tunisia to a presidential system like the one it had under Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, the authoritarian ruler toppled in the so-called Jasmine Revolution of 2011. It also weakens parliament and most other checks on the power of the president. while giving the head of state the ultimate power to form a government, appoint judges, and introduce laws.

It preserves most of the clauses of the 2014 Constitution regarding rights and freedoms. But unlike the old constitution, which splits power between parliament and the president, the new downgrades the legislature and judiciary to something more akin to civil servants, granting the president alone the power to appoint ministers and judges and weakening Parliament's ability to withdraw the confidence of the government.

Capping years of political paralysis, the referendum could spell the end of a fledgling democracy that many Tunisians have come to view as corrupt and woefully inadequate to guarantee bread, freedom and dignity - the ideals for which they chanted in 2011.

But with a low turnout of around 30% and most major political parties boycotting the vote to avoid lending For more legitimacy, Mr Saied now finds himself on shaky ground, his ability to lead new e reforms in question.

The inability of the democratic system to deliver good obs and put food on the table, clean up widespread corruption or produce much needed reforms have pushed many Tunisians to look to Mr. Saied for a rescue. The former constitutional law professor was elected president in 2019 largely because he was a political outsider.