By John Ikani
The man who oversaw the drawing up of Tunisia’s proposed new constitution has damned the final document published by the president as dangerous.
Sadok Belaid, a former constitutional law professor, is quoted by local media as saying that some chapters could pave the way for a dictatorial regime.
He had been entrusted by President Kais Saied with reshaping Tunisia’s constitution, but said what is being put to a referendum in four weeks’ time does not resemble the first draft proposed by his committee.
In a letter published by the majority state-owned Assabah newspaper, he said the published draft “involved risks of serious pitfalls, in particular the erasure and distortion of Tunisian identity”.
He also criticised the President’s restructuring of the judiciary, saying the new system, in which the president would appoint judges to a supreme judicial body, would reduce its independence.
The document has also been attacked by the powerful UGTT trade union as a potential threat to democracy.
The proposed constitution will be put to a referendum on 25 July.
