Head of Tunisia's labour union demands new government as Saied's crackdown continues

Head of Tunisia's labour union demands new government as Saied's crackdown continues
The head of Tunisia's powerful General Labour Union (UGTT) has called for a new government to be formed amid a continuing crackdown by President Kais Saied on political opponents.
2 min read
22 September, 2021
President Kais Saied sacked Tunisian ministers and suspended parliament on 25 July [Getty]

The head of a high-profile Tunisian labour union called for a new government to be formed amid an ongoing crackdown by President Kais Saied on political opponents.

The Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT)'s Secretary-General Noureddine Tabboubi said that a new government that would meet the economic and social needs of the country should be formed amid rising discontent with President Saied's current government

"The demand to form a government is not a crime," Tabboubi was quoted on Tuesday by the Tunis Afrique Presse news agency as saying.

Tabboubi's statement came after President Kais Saied said in a speech on Monday that "transitional provisions have been established, and a prime minister will be assigned to manage the country's affairs in accordance with those transitional provisions that respond to the will of the people."

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On July 25, Saied sacked ministers, suspended parliament, and put himself in charge of the general prosecutor's office, in moves widely regarded as a "coup"

He also lifted the immunity of MPs, and several have been detained and now face trial on charges including corruption and fraud.

The Tunisian Association for the Defence of Individual Liberties (ADLI) last week warned that several of Saied's measures were "contrary to the rules of democracy" and that there were "many dangers threatening democracy and the rule of law" under the so-called "state of exception" Saied has declared.