The Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki stated Thursday that his country “has absorbed the shock” of the assassination of opposition figure Shokry Belaid.
The Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki stated Thursday that his country “has absorbed the shock” of the assassination of opposition figure Shokry Belaid, stressing the necessity of adopting a new constitution that makes only two major provinces.
During an interview with the French journal Le Figaro, Marzouki said on Belaid’s assassination that Tunisia has passed the test without heavy casualties, adding that the state is not in a state of war.
“No one has been killed, no one has been injured. The whole country remained calm, even the counter-demonstrations were held in calm.”
Answering a question on the upcoming constitution, Marzouki said he supports the establishing of a “mixed system” because Tunisia had suffered a lot from dictatorship.
“A new regime must be formed which prevents the return of a dictatorship or of a bullheaded prime minister,” he said.
On the Presidential election, Marzouki added that “the next president shouldn’t last in office for more than two consecutive periods, should be deprived of impunity once he quits, and his dismissal should be possible just like the laws in the United States.”
Moreover, the Tunisian President warned of using the term “Islamist” when talking about Ennahda Party, stating that “French dailies speak on the “Islamists” governing Tunisia, and use the same term to stand for insurgents in Mali.”
“This is an improper use of language,” he insisted, adding that “if there is any problem with Ennahda, this is due to being a conservative party and not an Islamist one.”
On the other part, head of Ennahda parliamentary bloc, Sohbi Atiq, stated that Tunisian PM’s decision to line up a technocrat cabinet has caused a shock for the party.
During a Foundation Board session to tackle the political crisis, Atiq pointed out that “PM Hamadi Jebali’s declaration to form a technocrat government has caused a negative shock for Ennahda. This kind of cabinets is usually formed after a military coup d’état or a revolution in order to set the stage for the elections,” calling upon respecting “the legitimacy of ballots.”
