Tunisia labour union warns against president’s intervention

TUNIS - Tunisia's powerful UGTT labour union said on Friday that President Kais Saied's intervention is a danger to democracy and that the only solution to the crisis is through dialogue.

Saied has held nearly total power since July 25 when he dismissed the prime minister, suspended parliament and assumed executive power in a move his foes called a coup, and went further on Wednesday by brushing aside much of the constitution to allow him to rule by decree.

His intervention has undermined the democratic gains of Tunisia's 2011 revolution that ended autocratic rule and triggered the Arab Spring, despite Saied's pledges to uphold the freedoms won a decade ago.

As the weeks have passed, he has come under growing pressure from Tunisian political players and Western donors to name a prime minister and explain how he intends to move past the crisis.

Rules published in the official gazette allow him to issue "legislative texts" by decree, appoint the Cabinet and set its policy direction and basic decisions without interference.

The elected parliament, which he suspended in July using a highly contentious reading of the constitution, will not only remain frozen but its members will stop being paid their salaries. They will still be stripped of immunity from prosecution.

Saied did not put any time limit on his seizure of power, but said he would appoint a committee to help draft amendments to the 2014 constitution and establish "a true democracy in which the people are truly sovereign."