Tunis, May 26 (BNA) Tunisian President Kais Saied issued a decree calling on voters to hold a referendum on a new constitution on July 25, according to the Official Gazette.
Said last week appointed law professor Sadiq Belaid to head an advisory committee to draft a new constitution for a “new republic” that would exclude political parties from restructuring the political system, Reuters reported.
The main political parties said they would boycott unilateral political restructuring.
The Tunisian General Union of Strong Labor also refused to participate in a limited dialogue proposed by the president during the rewriting of the constitution. The union said it would organize a national strike in government companies and public services.
Belaid said earlier on Wednesday that he would go ahead with who would be on the committee after prominent academics refused to join it, raising fears that restructuring the political system would not have broad consensus.
The only question on the referendum will be: “Do you agree with the new constitution?” The newspaper said.
The newspaper added that polling will begin at 6 am and end at 10 pm on July 25.
Saeed, who took over the executive and dissolved parliament to rule by decree, has since said he will replace the 2014 democratic constitution with a new one by referendum and hold new parliamentary elections in December.