Tunisian speaker of the parliament says EU Parliament should investigate its own corruption rather than interfere in Tunisia’s affairs
Ibrahim Bouderbala, Tunisia’s newly elected speaker of the parliament, criticized, during an interview with Ettassia TV, what he labelled as the “superiority claim” of “some parties,” in reference to the call of the European parliament for suspending certain EU support programs to the Ministries of Justice and Interior Affairs in Tunisia on the grounds that President Saied has deployed repressive policies against his opponents.
Mr. Bouderbala also expressed astonishment at the coincidence between this call and the reiteration of the EU Parliament of their stance against normalization with the Syrian government- a claim that implies Tunisia is being punished for normalization with Syria.
“Our only supervisor is the people,” he said. “We hope to continue on this path with self-confidence unshaken by superiority claims. The EU parliament should reform itself first and investigate the bribes received by its MPs.”
Speaking to Al Hadath TV, Sarhan Nasri, a Tunisian political commentator, voiced similar concerns. He questioned the reluctance of the European Parliament to condemn “what is happening currently in France,” thus implying double-standards in EU foreign policy.
He concluded by defending Mr. Ibrahim Bouderbala, the new speaker of the parliament, alleging that his statements came in response to interference in Tunisian domestic affairs.
During the same debate, Hafedh Ghribi, political analyst, said Tunisia should have explained its situation to EU Parliament before the latter issued its statement. For him, escalation is not in Tunisia’s favor, and therefore, he suggested more active and engaged Tunisian foreign policy.
On the same day, few hours before the Tunisian speaker of the parliament articulated his criticism of EU policy, Taoufik Cherfeddine, Tunisia’s interior minister, stepped down due to family obligations, according to what he said. He was later substituted by Tunis governor Kamal Fekih, known for his firmness.
Some analysts suggest the resignation of Mr. Taoufik Charfeddine is tied to the decision of the EU parliament as the interior ministry took part in the arrests of prominent political figures accused of conspiring against Tunisia’s national security.
