Kais Said: one year with all powers in one man

A year ago, after a day of demonstrations in Tunisia against the ruling class and to demand the dissolution of parliament, President Kais Said, a professor of constitutional law elected at the end of 2019, declared the state of emergency in which the country is voting today in a controversial referendum.

Tunisia has been living in an exceptional situation since then, described as a "coup d'état" by the political majority, in which Said governs with full powers and seeks with this vote to replace a constitution that he considers "obsolete" in order to "return" sovereignty to the people.

Thousands of people defied the curfew on 25 July 2021 to enthusiastically celebrate his initiative in the streets: the dismissal of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi - appointed by him a year earlier - the suspension of parliament and the withdrawal of parliamentary immunity from prosecution of the 217 deputies.

"The constitution does not allow for its dissolution, but it does allow for the freezing of its activities", said the head of state during an urgent meeting with senior army and security force commanders, although eight months later he was to rectify the situation.

Article 80 of the Constitution, claimed by Said, states that the president can take "exceptional measures in case of imminent danger threatening the nation, security or independence of the country".

The "danger" put forward was the government's mismanagement during the health crisis - which reached one of the highest mortality rates in the world with 18,000 deaths per 11.5 million inhabitants - and a parliament that was incapable of pushing through urgent reforms and was the protagonist of continuous controversy, including physical attacks in the chamber.

Through this article, he also arrogated to himself executive power "with the help" of a government led by a new prime minister he would appoint two months later: Najla Bouden, an official of the Department of Higher Education and the first woman in the country's history to hold this post.

In the early hours of 25 July, the Speaker of Parliament and leader of the Islamist Ennahda party, Rached Ghannouchi, tried unsuccessfully with other MPs to gain access to the Assembly - which has since been sealed off by a military tank - in order to "defend" democracy.

The Islamist party, winner of the 2019 elections, was the first actor to denounce the "coup" but also the most criticised, considered responsible for the political and social crisis that the country has been experiencing for the last decade.

The political regime, semi-parliamentary and with presidential prerogatives limited to diplomacy and defence, was transformed into a vast power reminiscent of the dignitaries of the last half-century: Habib Bourguiba (1957-1987) and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (1987-2011).

Thanks to his new functions, Said dismissed the Minister of Defence and the Minister of Justice, and the dismissals have followed in an unstoppable succession of ministers, governors, senior security officials, judges, heads of institutions and public companies.

His main battle is the fight against corruption and the recovery of public money, estimated to be worth 4 billion euros, that was looted under the former regime.

Investigations and prosecutions - including military trials against civilians - have multiplied against businessmen, MPs, activists and magistrates among others, some for "insulting" the president on social media.

In September Said went a step further with decree 117 to suspend almost the entire Magna Carta - with the exception of the preamble and the first two articles on rights and freedoms - and grant himself control over most state affairs and rule by decree.

Civil society has denounced the dismantling of state institutions. Some have disappeared, such as the National Anti-Corruption Agency, and others, such as the High Council of the Judiciary or the Independent High Electoral Body (ISIE), have been dissolved and replaced by decree, which calls into question their independence.

Faced with pressure from within and outside the territory to "return to the democratic path", Said launched his own roadmap: a digital survey to find out citizens' proposals and concerns, a constitutional referendum and early legislative elections based on single-member lists instead of parties.

The "New Tunisia" project will culminate on 17 December - the date proclaimed National Day of the "true" revolution and on which the state of emergency is scheduled to end - although the opposition fears that this is only the beginning of its "authoritarian drift".