The head of the Tunisian parliament and of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, Rached Ghannouchi, called on Thursday (September 23) for the "
peaceful struggle
" against "
the absolute power of one man
" after President Kaïs Saïed considerably strengthened his powers .
Read also Tunisia: Kaïs Saïed strengthens the powers of the presidency
“
It's a step backwards.
A return to the 1959 Constitution. The return to absolute power of one man against whom the revolution took place,
”Ghannouchi said in an interview with AFP.
Call for "peaceful struggle"
“
The only option today is struggle, naturally peaceful struggle, because we are a civil movement.
Ennahdha, other parties and civil society will fight to recover their constitution and democracy,
”added the historic leader of Ennahdha, 80 years old.
Read also Tunisia: Saied's measures risk leading to the "dismantling" of the state
Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed, of whom Ennahdha is the bête noire, formalized his July 25 coup on Wednesday by promulgating exceptional provisions strengthening his powers to the detriment of the government and parliament, which he will de facto replace by legislating by decree .
These provisions "
are a marked coup against democracy, against the revolution (of 2011) and against the will of the people,
" he said. "
We have already called on our people to join in any peaceful action fighting against the dictatorship and bringing Tunisia back to the democratic path
," he continued. According to him, Ennahdha, the main parliamentary force in the assembly suspended by Saïed, "
will participate in any peaceful mobilization aimed at putting Tunisia back on the rails of democracy
".
The measures decided by Saïed which tend to presidentialize the hybrid system of government framed by the Constitution of 2014, aroused the ire of all his opponents, in particular Ennahdha, in a country undermined by divisions and successive political crises in recent years.