Tunis/Tunisia — The Tunisian elite should show more solidarity and state institutions show more inter-institutional cohesion, said Speaker of the House of People’s Representatives (ARP), Rached Ghannouchi.
He called to avoid “unnecessary tension” and to act to “revive hope”, he added in a press statement after a ceremony to raise the national flag, the Bardo Palace, on the occasion of the celebration of the Republic Day.
Ghannouchi stressed the importance of “the sustainability of the state” and “the unity of its institutions. “Tunisia is at war with a common enemy”, namely the COVID-19 which takes hundreds of lives every day in Tunisia. “We must unite our efforts” to overcome this deadly virus, he added.
He said he was convinced that “Tunisians will win”. “This is a time for unity and action, not disunity and quarrels,” he said.
Ghannouchi paid tribute to the health staff, the security, the military and all actors of social and political life, for their contribution to the fight against the pandemic.
In response to a question about recent calls to demonstrate against the government and the ruling class, Ghannouchi said: “Demonstrations are guaranteed by the Constitution, as long as they respect the law. He noted, however, that Tunisia deserves “a demonstration against the coronavirus that unites all forces against this scourge.
July 25, 2021, marks the 64th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic that ended the reign of the beylical dynasty.
Early in the morning, security forces were deployed at the entrances to the Bardo and had closed some streets to vehicular traffic and changed the directions of other roads and access routes.
The Bardo square (opposite the Parliament) was also closed with barricades and checkpoints, with a deployment of security forces.
In recent days, media and social media have relayed calls to demonstrate launched by the “Higher Council of Youth” on Sunday, July 25. Some political parties, however, said they could not support these calls to demonstrate in view of the health situation. They also stated that they do not know the parties behind these initiatives.