President Kais Saied of Tunisia defended the document he produced in advance of a referendum that is anticipated this month by claiming that it would not reinstate authoritarian control and would ensure rights and freedoms.

Since last summer, when Saied ignored the parliament and the 2014 constitution in a move that his detractors characterized as a coup and a march toward one-man rule, Saied has ruled by decree.

The president’s supporters say he is standing up to elite forces whose bungling and corruption have condemned Tunisia to a decade of political paralysis and economic stagnation.

Saied said in a letter published on the presidency Facebook page: “There is no fear for freedoms and rights.” He called on Tunisians to vote yes to back the constitution in the referendum.