Tunisia’s president dissolves parliament after MPs vote on reversing his power

Tunisian President Kais Saied announced on Wednesday that he was dissolving the Tunisian parliament, eight months after it was suspended from power grab in July.

“Today, at this historic moment, I announce the dissolution of the House of People’s Representatives in order to preserve the state and its institutions,” he said.

The announcement came at a meeting of the National Security Council, hours after parliamentarians held an online plenary session and voted through a bill against his “extraordinary measures”.

Saeed denounced the parliament’s move, describing it as a “coup attempt” and said those responsible for it “betrayed” the nation.

The former law professor, who was elected in 2019 amid popular anger against the political class, sacked the government on July 25 last year, froze the council, and seized sweeping powers.

He later granted himself powers to govern and legislate by decree and seized the judiciary in what his opponents saw as further blows to democracy in the cradle of the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011.

At first, Said’s moves were welcomed by many Tunisians, tired of the often faltering political system that emerged from the revolution that toppled old dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

But a growing group of critics say it has moved the country, also facing a deep economic crisis, onto a dangerous path back toward authoritarianism.

(AFP)