The powerful Tunisian trade union center UGTT called on President Kaïs Saïed on Sunday to launch a national dialogue, probably as a "
last chance
", to get out of the socio-economic and political crisis which is shaking the country.
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In a speech delivered on the occasion of May 1, Labor Day, the leader of the UGTT, Noureddine Taboubi sounded the alarm at the risk of "
dismantling of the state and (of) a collapse financial and economic
" because of the crisis in which Tunisia is plunged.
Hence, according to Noureddine Taboubi, "
the need to launch a sincere and in-depth national dialogue that deals with all the elements of the crisis (...) and would be a chance, perhaps the last, to bring together all the national forces
" .
The secretary general of the UGTT called on Kaïs Saïed, who assumed full powers on July 25, 2021, "
to supervise
" this dialogue in which "
all political parties
must participate" , according to the union leader.
Such a dialogue is "
the only choice for Tunisians, whatever their differences and disagreements
", affirmed Noureddine Taboubi, giving his support to Kaïs Saïed's coup de force, which made it possible, according to him, to "
break with a decade of political failure
.
Noureddine Taboubi, however, regretted a "
hesitant and unclear
" position of President Saïed, who gave priority to an online popular consultation between January and March rather than a national dialogue.
The consultation, largely shunned by the electorate, should serve as the basis for a referendum scheduled for July 25 to amend the Constitution, before legislative elections in December.
Since the summer of 2021, Tunisia has been divided into two clans: that of the president - who retains strong support in public opinion - and his opponents who managed to gather up to 6 or 7,000 demonstrators last fall against what they called a “
coup
” and a “
drift
” towards a new dictatorship in the only democracy in the Arab world.
At the end of April, associations and parties opposed to Kaïs Saïed, including the Islamist-inspired party Ennahdha, created a coalition under the aegis of a left-wing figure, Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, 78, with the ambition of attract other “
influential
” formations and personalities to “
save the country
”.
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In addition to the political deadlock, Tunisia is experiencing a deep socio-economic crisis and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to obtain a new loan.