Tunis/Tunisia — Head of the Free Destourian Party (PDL), Abir Moussi said she does not recognise the new "usurper" parliament, stressing that today's battle is between the authorities and the supporters of historical and electoral legitimacy, who are still waiting for legislative, presidential and municipal elections to be held in accordance with international standards.
Speaking late on Monday morning at a meeting at the Tunis Convention Centre to mark the 67th anniversary of independence, Abir Moussi painted a bleak picture of the country's general situation.
"We live today in a country where the institutions of the state are illegitimate, where the people are impoverished and depressed, where the budget is without finance, where the political landscape is gloomy and civil society seems robotic.
Moreover, the PDL leader added, "the political authority that took all power after July 25, which often boasted of fighting corruption, has not yet managed to open up sensitive files, including public contracts and purchases."
For Moussi, the President of the Republic is still reluctant to set up the Constitutional Court. The reason is to "escape accountability and enjoy total impunity". Saïed is himself "an immediate danger for the future of the country", she warned.
He is a man "who constantly usurps institutions and acts as judge and jury of the law, often of his own making," the PDL leader said.
Moussi argued against the exclusion of parties from the political scene, saying that President Saied, who has seized full powers, has drafted an electoral law that enshrines autocracy.
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In an alarmist tone, Moussi warned of serious attempts to exacerbate religious tensions, which she described as the root of all evil.
Moussi went on to warn against attempts to sow discord between Tunisia and its neighbours and to stir up internal conflicts within the country, noting that Tunisia was currently experiencing one of the darkest periods in its history.
The bad memory of the black decade is still omnipresent, Moussi regretted, reaffirming his party's commitment to continue its hard and bitter struggle towards the establishment of a civil, free and independent state.
"Let it be known that we are no longer willing to apologise to anyone, including the religious merchants, who knowingly brought the country to its knees," she said in a sharp tone.
Referring to the recent security crackdown on politicians involved in the plot against state security, Moussi said that the security operation was part of a battle with the unions, asserting that she had all the details of the case.
According to Moussi, most of those with controversial and presumed relations with foreigners have not yet been arrested, denouncing in this regard corruption files "made to measure" to mislead the Tunisian people.
