In Tunisia, the president announces the dissolution of the Superior Council of the Judiciary – Le Monde

Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed, who has assumed full powers since July 2021, announced on Sunday February 6 that he had decided to dissolve the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM), an independent body responsible for appointing judges, accusing him of to be partial and to serve certain interests.

“The CSM is a thing of the past from this moment on”, said the head of state in a video broadcast in the middle of the night where we see him discussing with various ministers. He added that he would issue a temporary decree about him. No further details regarding this decree were given. A few weeks ago, he had already withdrawn a certain number of advantages from the members of the CSM.

In this video, he accuses this constitutional body of corruption and bias and of having slowed down certain procedures, including investigations into the assassinations of left-wing activists in 2013. The July 25 Movement, which brings together its supporters, called on Saturday Mr. Saïed to dissolve the CSM to “purge” the judiciary of “corrupt magistrates”.

Ban on demonstrations

“Unfortunately in this country, some judges in the courts have manipulated the Chokri Belaïd file”denounced Mr. Saïed, about the affair of this secular activist killed by three bullets outside his home on February 6, 2013. “This is not the first trial where they have tried to hide the truth for years”he estimated. “In this council, positions and appointments are sold and made according to affiliationssaid the Head of State, adding: You can’t imagine the money some judges may have received, billions and billions. » For him, “the place of the judges [du CSM] is not where they are but in the dock”.

Political parties and organisations, including the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), will demonstrate on Sunday to demand that those implicated in terrorism cases be held accountable for their actions. Protesters will pay tribute to Chokri Belaïd on the ninth anniversary of his assassination. They will also commemorate the assassination of Mohamed Brahmi, killed in similar circumstances on July 25, 2013.

Supporters of Kaïs Saïed should, for their part, demonstrate against the Superior Council of the Judiciary. “I tell the Tunisians that they can demonstrate freely. It is their right. Just as we have the right to dissolve the Superior Council of the Judiciary”said the president, even though the ban on demonstrations was declared by the government.

According to observers, the president is targeting the Ennahda party, which has controlled parliament and various governments since the 2011 revolution and the fall of dictator Ben Ali. Mr. Saïed has concentrated all the powers since July 25, when he dismissed his prime minister and froze Parliament, a decision qualified as a coup by Ennahda and other opponents.

It has since appointed a government, but it takes its decisions by decree. In mid-December 2021, he announced a referendum this summer to reform the Constitution and legislative elections in December.