Tunisian voters on Monday adopted President Kais Saied’s new constitution. More than 90 percent voted in a referendum according to Reuters news agency for the constitution. A somewhat distorted result, as the turnout was only 27.5 percent.
After the results were announced, supporters of the president took to the streets to celebrate the election win. Opposition parties had boycotted the referendum; they speak of a coup by Saied. They also see the new constitution as a step backwards for Tunisia, because the power of the president is greatly expanded.
For example, the power of parliament is diminished, the president gets a better grip on the government and the judiciary and the control over his own power is considerably reduced. With the power changes, Tunisia threatens to return to the autocratic rule it had before the Arab Spring in 2011, when protesters took to the streets en masse for more democracy and a new constitution was introduced.
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Saied intervened in mid-2021, when he overthrew parliament and expelled the incumbent prime minister for misgovernment. He has since ruled by decree and called a constitutional referendum. His actions were initially supported by the population. Since Saied’s intervention, Tunisia’s economy has continued to deteriorate and support for his constitution has also declined.