Saturday, May 12, 2012
Gulf News
Manama Tunisia’s new constitution will be ready by October 23, the Speaker of the Constituent Assembly has said.
Mustapha Bin Jaafar’s announcement confirms the deadline initially put forward last year following the election of the assembly to draft the constitution.
The assembly and the government formed soon after the national legislative elections on October 2011 had come under fire for not setting a deadline for their terms, even though the deputies said that their work would not exceed one year.
Ben Jaafar said that the Constituent Assembly committee tasked with the constitution has held 193 meetings since November 13, denying charges of slow action and procrastination.
Multi-party votes
No date has been set yet for the next legislative and presidential elections.
Tunisia ousted its former president Zine Al Abidine Bin Ali in January 2011 following a popular uprising.
Interim cabinets ran the country until a government was formed by three political formations, led by Al Nahda, the moderate Islamist party, that dominated the multi-party votes.
By Habib Toumi?Bureau Chief
Gulf News 2012. All rights reserved.
