Tunisians vote in referendum on new Constitution

President Saied sacked the government and suspended parliament exactly a year ago

By Adel Al-Thabti

TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) - Tunisians began on Monday voting in referendum on a new Constitution put forward by President Kais Saied.

Polling stations opened at 6 a.m. local time (05:00GMT), and according to the Independent High Authority for Elections, over 9 million people are registered to take part in the referendum.

Since July 25, 2021, Tunisia has been undergoing a severe political crisis, when Saied sacked government and suspended the parliament.

Tunisian forces consider these measures a "coup against the Constitution," but others see them as a "correction of the course of the 2011 revolution," which overthrew then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

For Saied, who started in 2019 a five-year presidential term, considers his measures necessary to "save the country from imminent danger."

*Ikram Imane Kouachi in Ankara contributed to this report

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