27/08/2021 (Agence Europe) – The President of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) of the Council of Europe spoke on Thursday 26 August about the state of emergency in force in Tunisia since the end of July and extended “until further notice” on Monday 23 August. “I strongly support these legitimate and fundamental aspirations of the Tunisian people”, he said, highlighting the deep crisis the country is going through (Covid-19 pandemic, dysfunctional institutions and corruption). But “constitutional guarantees must not be used as a shield for criminals”, he added. The Tunisian Constitution drafted with the Venice Commission after the 2011 revolution must not be tainted “by the cancer of corruption and the inability of some public officials to transcend their partisan affiliations and vested interests for the sake of the public interest”, stressed Gianni Buquicchio. Link to the statement: https://bit.ly/3DnlsXH (VL)