Media in Tunisia excluded from parliamentary constitution
Police officers stand in front of the parliament building in Tunis during the first session of the new Tunisian parliament.
Image: dpa
Increasingly authoritarian: the Tunisian parliament, to the exclusion of independent media, has elected a supporter of the president as its leader. Voter turnout was only 11 percent.
In Tunisia’s parliament, to the exclusion of independent media, has elected Ibrahim Bouderbala as its president. No independent media were allowed to take part in the inaugural session on Monday; only state television and radio and state news agencies were permitted.
Journalists protested against their exclusion in front of the parliament.
Former President of the Bouderbala Bar Association is a self-confessed supporter of President Kais Saied. The main opposition parties again denied the legitimacy of the new parliament and referred to an election turnout of around 11 percent.
Saied dissolved the previous parliament by decree in July 2021, which the opposition sees as a coup d’état. He also pushed through a constitution that puts all essential powers in the hands of the president, and the government’s options for action have been severely restricted.
Saied justifies his actions by saying that he wants to end a crisis in Tunisia that has been going on for years.
