Tunisian Ambassador briefs Speaker Farrugia on developments in Tunisia

Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to Malta Yassine El Oued called on Speaker Anġlu Farrugia and informed him of the reforms that the Tunisian President, Kais Saied, has initiated since July 2021.

Ambassador El Oued said that the roadmap announced by their President was based on four stages. The first stage consisted of an electronic national consultation on the constitutional and political reforms. So far, more than 90,000 have participated in these consultations. In the second phase, a committee of experts in constitutional law and relevant fields will be formed to collect proposals and draw out the directions emerging from these consultations. In the third stage, a referendum will be held on 25 July 2022 on the draft constitutional reforms and electoral law. In the final stage, legislative elections will be held on 17 December 2022.

The Ambassador emphasised Tunisia’s commitment to freedom of expression and human rights, respect for freedoms and equality among all citizens and the independence of the judiciary.

Speaker Farrugia took note of these important developments and recalled his participation in the ceremony held in Tunis in February 2014, when a new Tunisian Constitution was also adopted. He referred to the large Maltese community who had lived in Tunisia in the past years, but now numbers about 150-200 Maltese nationals, the majority being descendants of the said numerous Maltese community.

Covid-19 also featured in the discussion, which, as of today, has resulted in about 26,000 fatalities out of almost 857,000 cases in Tunisia. The Tunisian Ambassador said that over 60% of the population had been vaccinated.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to Malta was accompanied by Mr Mohamed Wael Khammassi, First Secretary, Embassy of Tunisia.