TUNIS, Tunisia

Tunisia's powerful UGTT labor union on Wednesday renewed its refusal to participate in a national dialogue proposed by President Kais Saied.

“The UGTT governing body has unanimously rejected the participation in the dialogue proposed by the president,” UGTT spokesman Sami Tahri told a press conference in the capital Tunis.

“This position is final unless conditions for the dialogue are changed,” he added.

On Friday, Saied issued a presidential decree to form an advisory committee to draft a new constitution, excluding the country’s political parties from the process.

“We will not participate in this dialogue under the formal proposed,” Tahri said.

Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political crisis since July 25, 2021, when Saied dismissed the government, suspended parliament, and assumed executive authority, in a move decried by opponents as a “coup.” He later dissolved the parliament in March after lawmakers held a session to revoke his measures.

The North African country is also going through a severe economic crisis aggravated by the coronavirus pandemic amid the ongoing Russian war on Ukraine.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar