In a sharp escalation of political tensions in Tunisia, the president of the Arab country, Kais Saied, suspended the activities of Parliament and sacked the Prime Minister on Sunday (25).
The gesture was described as a coup by the head of Parliament, Rached Ghannouchi, for attacking the revolution and the Constitution promulgated in 2014.
Saied said he would assume the highest executive office with the help of a new prime minister, in a challenge to the constitutional charter, which establishes the division of powers between the president, prime minister and parliament . In Tunisia, the president’s authority is limited to foreign affairs and the military.
In a statement, the president said that “many have been deceived by hypocrisy, betrayal and theft of people’s rights.” Saied also warned that the country’s military would also respond to any armed reaction to its decisions with weapons. “If anyone shoots, the armed forces will retaliate,” he said.
In recent weeks, the country has witnessed a series of protests against Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi (now ousted) and Ghannouchi, both affiliated with Enahda, the moderate Islamic party with a majority in the Tunisian parliament.
During the demonstrations, the headquarters of Enahda in the cities of Sfax, Monastir, El Kef and Sousse were invaded by demonstrators.
The protests reflect the current handling of the pandemic by Covid-19, as well as the persistent economic crises the country has suffered since the Arab Spring in 2011, when a wave of protests led to the downfall of the then dictator, Zine el- Abidine Ben Ali, and regime change towards democracy.
Increasingly dissatisfied with the unemployment rate and the precariousness of public services, Tunisians returned to the streets ten years after the revolution to demand the dissolution of Parliament and the resignation of the Prime Minister, which shows that democracy is back. involved in parents.
In addition to accusing President Saïed of an attempted coup, Ghannouchi, also the leader of Enahda, asserts that the institutions continue to function in the country and that “the supporters of Enahda and the Tunisian people will continue to defend the revolution [de 2011]. “