Tunisia president says proposed constitution will not restore authoritarian rule

Saied said in a letter published on the presidency Facebook page: "There is no fear for freedoms and rights." He called on Tunisians to vote yes to back the constitution in the referendum.

Tunisia's President Kais Saied said on Tuesday the proposed constitution would not restore authoritarian rule and would guarantee rights and freedoms, defending the document that he published ahead of an expected referendum this month. Saied has ruled by decree since last summer when he brushed aside the parliament and the 2014 constitution in a step his foes called a coup and a move towards one-man rule.

The president's supporters say he is standing up to elite forces whose bungling and corruption have condemned Tunisia to a decade of political paralysis and economic stagnation. Saied said in a letter published on the presidency's Facebook page: "There is no fear for freedoms and rights." He called on Tunisians to vote yes to back the constitution in the referendum.