Tunisian President Kais Saied on Monday extended the suspension of parliament until further notice, after dismissing his Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi last month and assuming executive authority in a move opponents branded as a coup, reported Reuters.
The presidency said Saied has also extended the suspension of the immunity of members of parliament, adding that the Tunisian president will give a speech to the nation in the coming days, without giving more details. He is yet to announce a new prime minister or a roadmap to restore parliament.
On July 25, Saied sacked the government and suspended parliament for one month citing powers he said were granted by the constitution. He claimed that he took the big decision to save Tunisia from collapse following mass protests over the government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak and its dire economic consequences. The people of Tunisia were already angry about declining state services and high unemployment even before the pandemic struck.
The legality of the move has been questioned by many, including the biggest party in the country, the Ennahdha Party, which has claimed that Saied has attempted a coup. Prominent leaders from the party have demanded that he quit the leadership. But the Tunisian president has over and again stated that he is a firm believer in democracy.
The president’s moves have raised concerns among some Tunisians about the future of the democratic system that the country adopted after its 2011 revolution that triggered the Arab Spring.
Notably, several political leaders, judges, businessmen as well as members of parliament, who lost their immunity after Saied suspended the Tunisian legislature, have said they have been banned from traveling abroad or have been put under house arrest without prior warning.
Saied, who vowed to stand up against corruption, was elected as president in a landslide victory in 2019.
