TUNIS, Nov 16 (Reuters) – The head of a Tunisian political party who is a prominent opponent of President Kais Saied said he was stopped from leaving the country on Wednesday, fuelling concerns over the right to dissent and democratic pluralism.<\/p>\n
Fadel Abdel Kefi, the head of the Afek Tounes party, said police stopped him at Carthage international airport and prevented him travelling, but without any judicial warrant.<\/p>\n
The move comes a day after police started investigating a domestic journalist over an article critical of the prime minister and in the run-up to legislative elections that Saied’s opponents have decried as undemocratic.<\/p>\n
Saied seized broad powers last year, shut down the elected parliament and held a referendum to enshrine near absolute presidential power buttressed by a weakened legislature in a new constitution.<\/p>\n
An Interior Ministry official told Reuters a Tunis court had issued a judicial decision to prevent Abdel Kefi from travelling, adding that the ministry was not empowered to take such a step independently.<\/p>\n
Abdel Kefi told Reuters he had not been made aware of any judicial decision against him. “Is it reasonable for a decision to be issued without my knowledge?” he said, calling the move a “violation of a basic right”.<\/p>\n
Rights groups have warned that Saied’s moves have put at risk Tunisia’s democracy and the rights and freedoms won after a 2011 revolution.<\/p>\n
However, there has been no major campaign of arrests or crackdown on dissent, and Saied has denied having dictatorial ambitions.<\/p>\n
Abdel Kafi has emerged in recent months as a prominent critic of the president’s seizure of most powers, saying he acts like a king and has not improved governance or saved the faltering economy.<\/p>\n
He has also called for most of Saied’s new constitution to be revoked and for a balance of power between different branches of government to be restored.<\/p>\n
Reporting by Tarek Amara; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Clarence Fernandez<\/p>\n
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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