Tunisia has been showing signs of its young democracy running out of steam since July 25, 2021. At the end of last week, the head of state, Kaïs Saïed, strengthened his power and put under his control the ‘Independent High Authority for Elections (Isie). According to the decree published on Friday, April 22, the president will now directly choose three members out of the seven and will appoint the president of the body, reports the French-speaking daily newspaper. The Press.
For the rest of the members, the final decision on the appointment will always rest with the Head of State, on the proposal of other structures, and in particular the Superior Council of the Judiciary, whose members he himself appointed. “A new stone of the democratic edifice falls”, comments The Press.
Another breach of the Constitution
In a statement to the site of the Arabic-language newspaper Assabah News, Nabil Azizi, member of the council of Isie, clearly expressed his disagreement with the presidential decree: “The President of the Republic violated the Constitution, since the Constitution stipulates that the members of Isie are elected and not appointed.”
In a statement released the same day, the party referred