Kais Saied Takes Tunisia Back to Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s Era

Following the Arab Spring, Tunisia formed a special case due to the return of democratic rule and the rotation of powers among the Tunisian society.

Nevertheless, the Tunisian people woke up to the decisions of Tunisian President Kais Saied to freeze the Parliament, lift the immunity of MPs, and dismiss Prime Minister Hisham Al-Mashishi.

He also decided to take over the executive power with the assistance of a head of governments whom he would appoint by himself and to head the General Prosecution.

This would result in an authoritarian rule, as it puts all the legislative, executive, judicial, and security powers in the control of one person, which did not even happen during the rule of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

The Tunisian Parliament announced its rejection of President Kais Saied’s recent decisions to dissolve parliament, freeze the government’s work, and control the executive and judicial authority in the country.

The Council confirmed it is convening and called on all MPs to protect the legislative institution.

The head of the Independent High Authority for Elections in Tunisia, Nabil Bafoun, described the decisions to be violating the provisions of the constitution. He added, in radio statements, that Article 80, on which Saeed relied, imposes the permanent convening of Parliament, even in exceptional cases.

He explained that it is not possible to go to early elections amid the absence of power, as the constitution specified that only in the event of the dissolution of Parliament, which is not the case now.

He pointed out that the electoral commission is not only a technical body, but a constitutional one, and the only reference for holding early elections is the constitution.

The country’s trade union remained silent, in what seems to be hidden support for Qais Saeed’s decisions, while the army announced its support for Said’s decisions and deployed its forces in front of the vital institutions in the country.

Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahda Party and head of the Parliament held a set in front of the parliament and said: “We assure the Tunisian people and Tunisia’s friends in the world that its free voice will never fade.”

Ennahda party issued a statement considering the decisions of the Tunisian president as a “coup” in the country and called for standing against these decisions.

The “Washington Post” newspaper describing the incidents as the most serious crisis that Tunisia is living in since 2013.

The newspaper added that the Tunisian president’s decisions came on the Tunisian Republic Day, a traditional day of celebration across the country, and amid a faltering economy, a spread of the Coronavirus, and popular dissatisfaction with the government.

The United Nations called for resolving all disputes in Tunisia through dialogue, and urged all parties in the country to exercise restraint and refrain from violence, a spokeswoman for the European Commission said.

On Monday, the USA expressed concern over the dismissal of the prime minister, and called for respect for “democratic principles” in the country, however, it did not decide whether this was a coup or not.

We call on the Tunisian president to reverse his decisions and to respect the choice of the Tunisian people, and address the problems he referred to in his statement according to a popular consensus and not make an individual judgment that may seriously harm Tunisia’s stability and security.

We also call on civil institutions and the Tunisian people to resort to the law and refuse to be drawn into violence.