Tunisia's largest syndicate calls for securing country’s official documents

TUNIS, Tunisia

The Tunisian General Labor Union, the country's largest syndicate, on Thursday called for ensuring the safety of institutions and preventing any tampering with their archives, documents, and properties.

"The union structures in all parties, sectors, and institutions are called to be vigilant, to exert more effort and work, to ensure the safety of their institutions and to prevent any tampering with their archives, documents, and properties,” the union said in a statement.

It explained that this comes "in view of the exceptional circumstance that the country is going through, and to contribute to its rescue and to cut off the path for those who wish evil to Tunisia."

During his meeting with the head of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, Samir Majoul, the country's President Kais Saied said on Wednesday that anyone who tries to destroy documents will bear the responsibility before the law.

On Sunday, Saied dismissed the government of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, froze parliament, and assumed executive authority with the assistance of a new prime minister.

The move was rejected by most of Tunisia’s parliamentary blocs, including Ennahda, Heart of Tunisia, and the Dignity Coalition.

Ennahda leader and Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi decried Saied’s move as nothing but a "full-fledged coup" against the Tunisian constitution, revolution, and freedoms in the country.

Tunisia is seen as the only country that succeeded in carrying out a democratic transition among a group of Arab countries that witnessed popular revolutions which toppled their ruling regimes, including Egypt, Libya, and Yemen.
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* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat