Tunisia's Marzouki warns of dangers of return of old regime

Marzouki accused the 'state of thieves' of 'destroying' the revolution and regaining the symbols of the old regime to political life

Tunisian President Mohamed Moncef Marzouki yesterday warned of the dangers of the return of the autocratic regime which supresses freedom, calling for the youth of Tunisian "not to waste a historical chance to defend their revolutionary track," AFP reported.

In the opening speech of his electoral campaign for presidency, Marzouki accused the "state of thieves" of "destroying" the revolution and regaining the symbols of the old regime to political life.

"The danger of autocracy is threatening the Tunisian experience. The autocratic regime endangered freedom for 50 years... They might raise the pretext of terrorism again, open prisons and return to torture."

Marzouqi continued: "The old regime played a big role in last month's parliamentary elections."

Nidaa Tounes, an alliance of former regime figures led by a veteran of the regimes of Habib Bourguiba and Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, Beji Caid El-Sebsi, 87, got the majority of seats. The alliance received 89 seats of 217, compared with 69 for Ennahdah.

The president called for the Tunisian youths not to waste this opportunity to build their modern democratic state, which could not be ruled by one person.

"You will pay the price if those [alliance of the old regime] retuned to authority," he said, "therefore, you have to leave your PCs and talk to the people in the villages and everywhere to persuade them to save the revolution."