The suspension, as well as the lifting of parliamentary immunity, will remain in force “until further notice,” said the Tunisian presidency on Tuesday night via Twitter. The president will address the people in the next few days, it said.
Almost a month ago, Saied had deposed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and dozens of high-ranking government officials and arrested or placed several critics under house arrest. Since then, he has neither appointed a new prime minister nor provided a roadmap for a return to normalcy.
Saied claims his intervention was necessary to save the country from collapse. In Tunisia, where years of mismanagement, corruption and political paralysis have been exacerbated by a massive increase in corona infections, the head of state, who was elected to office with a landslide victory in 2019, can count on broad support from the population.
