By John Ikani
President of Tunisia, Kais Saied has announced that citizens of the country will have a chance to comment on his proposals for political reform as he moves to rewrite the nation’s constitution.
The announcement came after thousands of people protested in Tunis on Sunday, some shouting “bring down the President”.
Saied remarks appeared to indicate that he was open to a more inclusive process – something that his critics and other major players have long demanded – but he did not say when or how it would take place or who would be invited to take part.
Kais Saied, who suspended Parliament and seized executive power last year, was speaking on state television.
He plans to hold a referendum on constitutional change in July.
“Consultation is the first stage of national dialogue… the national dialogue will take place after considering the results of the consultation,” he said in a video recording released online.
According to him, the reforms will help end years of government paralysis and weak economic growth in Tunisia.
Critics of Saied accuse him of carrying out a coup last summer when he suspended the elected parliament and brushed aside the democratic constitution to say he would rule by decree until a new one was in place.
They say the President is acting to bolster his own authority and wants to restrict civil liberties gained in the Arab Spring revolt of 2011.
