“The referendum is a pivotal stage in the country’s history during which the Tunisian people will express their opinion freely and participate in laying the new foundations of the Tunisia of the future,” she insisted.
Head of government Najla Bouden said the general situation in the country is relatively stable, stressing the persistence of “terrorist threats and plans targeting Tunisia’s security and stability”.
During a speech delivered yesterday on the occasion of the second periodic conference of governors of 2022, Bouden recalled that Tunisia is preparing for important deadlines, in particular the constitutional referendum of July 25, the harvest season, the summer and tourist season and summer festivals. “This requires raising the level of promptness and alertness and combining all efforts to deal with future events,” she said.
The Head of Government also stressed the need to secure the electoral process in all its stages and to work to provide all the conditions for the success of the work of the Independent High Authority for Elections (Isie) as well as its regional bodies ( Irie).
«The referendum is a pivotal stage in the country’s history during which the Tunisian people will express their opinion freely and participate in laying the new foundations of the Tunisia of the future.“, she insisted.
Najla Bouden also declared that the National Council of Regions which will be created under the draft of the new constitution, subject of the referendum, will be of great help for the governors to fulfill their functions as well as possible.
For his part, Interior Minister Taoufik Charfeddine said that “Tunisia is now experiencing remarkable stability in all regions of the country, with the exception of certain sectoral social movements concerning in particular professional demands or the activation of previous agreements».
The Interior Ministry is committed to dealing with all movements and developments within the framework of respect for the fundamental rights of citizens, he stressed.
Charfeddine, on this occasion, praised the efforts of the security forces to “unmasking terrorist elements and fighting crime».
The draft of the new constitution was published last Thursday in the Official Journal of the Republic of Tunisia (Jort).
Water stress
Referring to the water stress suffered by the country and its impact on water supply, the Head of Government recalled that the average availability of water per inhabitant in Tunisia does not exceed 420 m3 in normal times.
This rate is “very worrying” especially as the situation risks worsening further in the light of climate change, which is likely to threaten Tunisia’s water and food security, she added at the opening of the the 2e periodic conference of governors for the year 2022.
In this regard, she called on the governors to take all the necessary measures to guarantee the supply of drinking water during the summer.
She also estimated that the indicators of investment in Tunisia are still below expectations, despite “good business climateavailable to the country, calling for greater efforts to overcome the difficulties encountered in this area.
The Head of Government recalled that the government is working, within the framework of structural reforms, to free up private initiative, enshrine the principles of fair competition, consolidate the soundness of the financial sector and improve the performance of the public sector, as well as to ensuring social inclusion and establishing sustainable development.
She added that the government is determined to develop a new avant-garde vision of “Tunisia by 2035”, whose main orientations are focused on human capital, the digital economy, the support of private initiative , green economy, social justice and regional development.
She also affirmed that the various “bold” reforms, made essential by the difficult economic situation arising from the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, will enable Tunisia to replenish the State’s coffers, and this, following the expected conclusion a new financing program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
A delegation from the IMF
The Head of Government recalled, in this context, that an IMF delegation will travel to Tunis tomorrow, Monday, to launch official negotiations with the Tunisian authorities on a new financing program.
According to her, this visit testifies to the effort made by the government at the economic level, which is likely to “further encourage us to implement the necessary reforms, so as to rapidly improve the socio-economic situation in the country”.
Bouden also mentioned the start of the harvest season, which looks “promising”, given that cereal production in Tunisia should reach 18 million quintals, against 16 million quintals during the past season. , despite the difficulties encountered, which are linked to the late start of the rainy season and the rise in the prices of several inputs.
She called on all workers in the agricultural sector to be vigilant in preserving the wheat harvest, to take the necessary measures to reduce losses at all stages of the harvest and to encourage producers to deliver their crops quickly to the centers. authorized collection centers and to intensify the control of anarchic collection.
She further urged the governors to work to ensure the success of the tourist season and the safety of the country’s visitors and to intensify control activities to guarantee the safety of tourist establishments and their surroundings while urging the owners of these establishments to activate their “self-security” plans.
A big environmental challenge
Regarding the preservation of the environment in Tunisia, Bouden noted that this area faces a great challenge due to the limited financial and human resources available to the municipalities, the lack of equipment and the dilapidated state of the park in charge of maintenance. and cleanliness.
She called for intensifying exceptional cleanliness campaigns, tackling black spots, activating the control of anarchic landfills and coordinating with the Coastal Protection and Planning Agency (Apal) to guarantee cleanliness and control of beaches and tourist circuits.
She called on the security services to show firmness in the control of environmental fines while working to carry out awareness campaigns among citizens on the importance of preserving the environment.
With regard to the specific social housing program launched in 2012, the Head of Government indicated that it is facing implementation difficulties in several governorates for several reasons, including the reluctance of promoters to participate in its implementation, calling on governors to activate the role of the regional monitoring commissions of this program in order to complete the stages relating to the choice of beneficiaries.
She also called on the security services and the relevant services of the Ministry of Equipment to take all necessary measures to protect the ready accommodation and to keep them well while waiting for the delivery of the keys to the beneficiaries.
Bouden also called on the governors to coordinate as well as possible with the administrative services in order to set up points of sale from the producer to the consumer of sacrificial sheep. The objective is to deal with speculative practices and preserve the purchasing power of the citizen.