TOPIC – Crisis in TunisTunisian President Kais Saied’s decision to sack the Prime Minister and suspend Parliament, amid widespread anti-government protests, has
triggered the worst political crisis in the country since the Arab Spring protests. Among the countries affected by the Arab street protests, Tunisia was the only one that managed to successfully
transition from dictatorship to parliamentary democracy. But the North African country’s elected rulers never managed to ease its economic
woes, or offer stable governance. Tunisia has had nine governments since 2011, with its crisis-hit economy being
battered further by the COVID-19 outbreak — last year, its GDP contracted by 8.8% in real terms. The trigger now is the government’s poor handling of the pandemic. The country of 11.8 million has recorded nearly 18,000 COVID-related deaths so far — one of the highest per capita death rates in the world. Only 7% of the populations are fully vaccinated. Last week, the government’s move to speed up vaccination by opening it for all above 18 years ended in
stampedes and violent incidents. Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi
sacked the Health Minister, but public anger refused to subside. On July 25, Tunisia’s Republic Day, protests broke out and the offices of the ruling party, Ennahda, stormed. This allowed the President to sack the government. President Saied says he stepped in to “save the state”. But in a country where the wounds of decades-long dictatorship are yet to heal, his move to
dissolve an elected government would raise concerns rather than comfort. Both the President and Parliament are popularly elected. Mr. Mechichi had the backing of Ennahda, the largest party in the suspended Parliament. President Saied, who is an independent, has had a testy relationship with Ennahda and the Prime Minister. While the Mechichi government has clearly failed in
tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, the President’s move to dissolve Parliament appears more a power grab than a genuine attempt to address the country’s problems. Ennahda and at least two other parties have accused Mr. Saied of
orchestrating a
coup. If they resort to protests, it would pitch the parties that control Parliament against the President, deepening political instability. The 2014 Constitution has called for a constitutional court to settle crises like these, but the court has not been formed yet. Under the Constitution, the President oversees only the military and foreign affairs, while the Prime Minister is in charge of the day-to-day affairs of governance. So to avoid a constitutional crisis, the President will have to appoint a Prime Minister, who should win the confidence of the Assembly of the People’s Representatives. Mr. Saied should act within his constitutional limits, recalls Parliament and allow the formation of a
legitimate government, which could take steps to address Tunisia’s economic and health-care woes.
The Hindu Editorial Words with meanings, synonyms, and antonyms
Transition (noun) – The act of passing from one state or place to the next
Synonyms – Modulation, metamorphosis, transmutation, flux, gangway
Antonyms – Stagnation, start, still, key theme
Woes (noun) – Things that cause sorrow or distress
Synonyms – Afflictions, adversities, tribulations, agonies, distress
Antonyms – Contentment, felicity, ecstasies, treasure, optimism
Battered (adjective) – Damaged by blows or hard usage
Synonyms – Shabby, dilapidated, bruised, decrepit, drubbed
Antonyms – Pristine, unabused, improve, undamaged, made
Stampedes (verb) – Cause to run in panic
Synonyms – Dashes, flings, routs, fling, influxes
Antonyms – Dally, plod, stroll, dawdle, saunter
Sacked (adjective) – Having been robbed and destroyed by force and violence
Synonyms – Ravaged, pillaged, plundered, furloughed, despoil
Antonyms – Preserved, detained, grew, guarded, engaged
Dissolve (verb) – Cause to go into a solution
Synonyms – Disperse, thaw, liquefy, dissipate, crumble
Antonyms – Solidify, congeal, convene, coalesce, congregate
Tackling (noun) – Instruments of action
Synonyms – Rigging, grab, seize, braving, grapple
Antonyms – Avoiding, capitulating, pretermit, dodging,
Orchestrating (verb) – Plan or coordinate the elements to produce the desired effect, especially surreptitiously
Synonyms – Adapt, mobilize, composing, devising, band
Antonyms – Clutter, disrupt, jumble, muddle, spurn
Coup (noun) – A brilliant and notable success
Synonyms – Putsch, stroke, conquest, insurgence, grift
Antonyms – Contretemps, bane, fatality, humiliation, cataclysm
Legitimate (adjective) – Recognized as lawful
Synonyms – Valid, authentic, licit, sanctioned, factual
Antonyms – Illicit, crooked, dodgy, fictitious, sinful