Yasser Gourari, MP and President of the General Legislation Committee, stated in an interview with Tunisienumérique that the disagreements observed during the examination of the finance bill between MPs and the Minister of Finance regarding the adoption of certain articles are nothing new. According to him, such tensions occur “in all parliaments around the world.”
Legal provisions invoked by the Minister of Finance
Gourari explained that the arguments repeatedly used by the current and former Ministers of Finance rely mainly on:
Article 49 of the Organic Budget Law, which requires MPs proposing new expenditures to also propose a corresponding revenue source;
Article 69 of the Constitution, which bars acceptance of proposals that undermine the State’s financial equilibrium.
A call for genuine cooperation between the executive and the legislature
The MP recalled that lawmakers have long insisted that overcoming these recurring issues requires joint work between the executive and legislative branches during the budget preparation phase.
He criticized the government’s stance, saying:
“Using the excuse of rejecting any proposal with financial implications is no longer acceptable. We made concessions in previous finance bills and had agreed on a consensual approach, but that commitment was not respected.”
A finance bill “partially aligned” with the President’s vision
According to Gourari, the version submitted by the Ministry of Finance includes measures intended to align with the orientations of President Kaïs Saïed, but “without the depth needed to genuinely achieve the objective of a fair social state.”
He added that MPs therefore sought to introduce articles “that at least move closer” to this vision.
Additional articles at the center of the dispute
The MP stressed that major concerns emerged when the additional articles, adopted by MPs, were examined:
“These articles require thorough discussion. The matter is far from settled.”
He noted that several mechanisms still allow for changes to the text:
the possibility for the Minister of Finance to introduce amendments under Article 112,the upcoming opinion of the second legislative chamber,the role of the joint conciliation committee between both chambers,and finally, the signature of the President of the Republic, the last step before the law enters into force.
Preserving the credibility of the State
For Gourari, the issue goes beyond technical debate:
“We must not pass articles that cannot be implemented. This affects the credibility of the State, the Parliament and the government. Once signed by the President, the law becomes enforceable in the name of the Tunisian people.”
He concluded by calling for consensus on the remaining points and urged the government to make concessions “in line with the choice of building a social state.”
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