Opponents say President Kais Saied is seeking to reinstall an autocracy in the birthplace of the 2011 Arab uprisings. AP
Opponents say President Kais Saied is seeking to reinstall an autocracy in the birthplace of the 2011 Arab uprisings. AP
Opponents say President Kais Saied is seeking to reinstall an autocracy in the birthplace of the 2011 Arab uprisings. AP
Opponents say President Kais Saied is seeking to reinstall an autocracy in the birthplace of the 2011 Arab uprisings. AP

Tunisian President Kais Saied vows 'zero tolerance' of referendum fraud


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Tunisian President Kais Saied has said there will be “zero tolerance” for anyone who tries to derail a referendum on a controversial new constitution later this month.

Mr Saied said on Monday all parties should adhere to "neutrality" and must pay attention to "multiple attempts to infiltrate registration processes".

"There is no room for tolerance with those who want to thwart the referendum," he said during a meeting with Farouk Bouaskar, head of the Independent High Authority for Elections, at the Carthage Palace.

Mr Saied has warned of attempted electoral fraud in the coming vote, claiming the authorities have detected manipulation as voters register at polling centres before the referendum.

It comes after the Tunisian opposition renewed calls on Monday for a boycott of the July 25 referendum, despite the publication of an amended draft of the proposed constitution.

The draft constitution is the centrepiece of Mr Saied's programme to overhaul Tunisia's political system.

Rivals say the text confirms fears he is seeking to reinstall an autocracy in the birthplace of the 2011 Arab uprisings.

"We call on Tunisians to boycott this illegal, unconstitutional process that aims to legitimise a coup d'etat," veteran opposition figure Ahmed Nejib Chebbi told AFP.

Mr Chebbi said rights and freedoms would be threatened if the charter was approved.

"For me it's the quintessential bad constitution," he said.

Veteran opposition figure Ahmed Nejib Chebbi has called for a boycott of an 'illegal, unconstitutional process'. AFP
Veteran opposition figure Ahmed Nejib Chebbi has called for a boycott of an 'illegal, unconstitutional process'. AFP

Mr Chebbi's National Salvation Front includes five political parties, among them Mr Saied's nemesis the Ennahdha party, along with five civil society groups involving independent political figures.

It was formed in April, months after Mr Saied, a former law professor elected in 2019 amid public anger against the political class, sacked the government and suspended parliament, later seizing far-reaching legislative and judicial powers.

Mr Saied's initial power grab was welcomed by many Tunisians sick of the often-deadlocked post-revolution political system.

But critics have said his moves risk a return to autocracy, a decade after the 2011 overthrow of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in a popular revolt.

  • Protesters in Tunis try to break through security barriers to reach the headquarters of the Independent High Authority for Elections during a demonstration against Tunisian President Kais Saied. All photos: EPA
    Protesters in Tunis try to break through security barriers to reach the headquarters of the Independent High Authority for Elections during a demonstration against Tunisian President Kais Saied. All photos: EPA
  • A demonstrator holds a sign reading 'the organisation of the president = the organisation of fraud' during a demonstration in Tunis. EPA
    A demonstrator holds a sign reading 'the organisation of the president = the organisation of fraud' during a demonstration in Tunis. EPA
  • The leader of Tunisia's Popular Front party, Hamma Hammami, shouts slogans during a demonstration against President Kais Saied and a referendum on a new constitution to be held on July 25. EPA
    The leader of Tunisia's Popular Front party, Hamma Hammami, shouts slogans during a demonstration against President Kais Saied and a referendum on a new constitution to be held on July 25. EPA
  • Tunisians shout slogans against President Kais Saied in Tunis. EPA
    Tunisians shout slogans against President Kais Saied in Tunis. EPA
  • Protesters try to break through security barriers to reach the entrance to the headquarters of the Independent High Authority for Elections in Tunis. EPA
    Protesters try to break through security barriers to reach the entrance to the headquarters of the Independent High Authority for Elections in Tunis. EPA

The process of writing the constitution has also come under fire.

The legal expert who oversaw the constitution's drafting has disavowed it, saying it was "completely different" from what his committee had submitted and warning that some articles could "pave the way for a dictatorial regime".

Last week, Mr Saied published an amended draft, apparently attempting to ward off criticism after the original was criticised for the nearly unlimited power it gave his office.

On Monday, Jawhar Ben Mbarek, leader of Citizens Against the Coup, urged Tunisians to "massively reject this referendum".

"We reject the entire process," he told AFP. "We are committed to the 2014 constitution, which we consider to be the only legal constitution, representative of the will of the Tunisian people."

The EU called Monday for an "inclusive national dialogue", saying it would be "a cornerstone of any credible constitutional process and long-term stability".

"It is essential to bring together the widest possible spectrum of political and societal actors in addressing the political, economic and social challenges the country is facing," said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell's office.

'A catastrophe in public finances'

The country's economy has been dealt a huge blow by Russia's war in Ukraine, according to a report in the Financial Times on Tuesday.

Increases in global food and energy prices sparked by the conflict pushed inflation up to a record 8.1 per cent in June, the report said, creating a heavier burden on people who were already living through an economic crisis.

Living standards in Tunisia have plummeted over the past decade since the 2011 uprisings.

Increasing costs for wheat and oil imports have put further strain on a government heavily in debt. The country subsidises bread and fuel for its 12 million people.

Fadhel Abdel Kefi, a former investment minister and leader of the opposition Afek Tunis party, told the Financial Times: “Since independence in 1956, we have not lived a catastrophe in public finances like the one we have been experiencing since 2020.

“The government owes money to milk producers, bakers and construction companies."

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Company profile

Company name: Suraasa

Started: 2018

Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker

Based: India, UAE and the UK

Industry: EdTech

Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding

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All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm

Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm

Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm

PREMIER LEAGUE STATS

Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League 
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals

2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25  

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Lamsa

Founder: Badr Ward

Launched: 2014

Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million

David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

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Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra

Director: Anu Menon

Rating: Three out of five stars

Company Profile

Company name: Fine Diner

Started: March, 2020

Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka

Based: Dubai

Industry: Technology and food delivery

Initial investment: Dh75,000

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Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000

Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months

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Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
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How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

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Analyst: Aqib Mehboob of Saudi Fransi Capital

Top pick: National Commercial Bank

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'Panga'

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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

THE BIO

BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.

ABU DHABI TRIATHLON

For more information, and to enter the race, please visit www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.

Napoleon
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Ruwais timeline

1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established

1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants

1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed

1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.  

1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex

2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea

2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd

2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens

2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies

2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export

2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.

2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery 

2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital

2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13

Source: The National

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