TUNIS. The President of the Tunisian Republic Kais Saied, at the end of an emergency meeting with the top security and armed forces, announced in a video, based on article 80 of the Constitution, that he had frozen the work of Parliament and revoked the immunity of all deputies.
Saied also fired Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, temporarily taking over the head of an executive, pending the appointment of a new head of government. Saied’s decision came at the end of another day of clashes and tensions in several cities on the day of the 64th anniversary of the proclamation of the Tunisian Republic. Tunisia is going through a deep crisis, between the lockdown imposed by the pandemic and very serious economic difficulties.
The country’s politics had been frozen for months: on January 16, Prime Minister Mechichi announced a government reshuffle but Saied refused to hold a ceremony for the inauguration of the new ministers. Since May, rumors have been circulating about Saied’s intention to overthrow the government and take control of the armed forces. The Middle East specialized portal released a document dated May 13 and labeled as “absolutely top secret” which contained in detail the plan with which Said intended to take power: the president would have convened an urgent summit of the Security Council and proclaimed a “dictatorship constitutional ”which would have“ concentrated all powers in the hands of the president ”.
The reaction of the Speaker of the House Rashed Ghannouchi, exponent of the Islamist party Ennahda: “The institutions are still in place, the supporters of Ennahda and the Tunisian people will defend the revolution”. Shortly after Saied’s announcement, many Tunisians took to the streets to celebrate. In the afternoon the demonstrators had gathered in front of the Parliament to demand its dissolution.