The Council of Europe's constitutional legal experts, the Venice Commission, today praised efforts made by the Tunisian people to draft a new constitution based on ‘universal principles of democracy and human rights'.

The final draft constitution reflects a ‘semi-presidential' system of government whereby a directly elected president shares executive power with a prime minister coming from the strongest party in a given election.

The eleven Commission rapporteurs welcome that the draft guarantees such fundamental rights as the right to privacy and the right to a fair trial.

They welcome the creation for the first time in Tunisia's history of an independent constitutional court.

But the experts call for careful refinement to address checks and balances in relations between the president and the prime minister, and request more explicit language to ensure that fundamental rights such as freedom of assembly and association are not limited more than necessary. (more...)

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