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Rabat – Following months of bubbling social unrest, the Tunisian President Kais Saied fired the country’s Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspended its parliament for 30 days, on Sunday.
The news comes amidst the eruption of violent mass protests across the North African country in response to the government’s poor management of the pandemic, in addition to long-standing economic and social unrest.
Following Sunday’s decision, President Saied stressed that “we have taken these decisions… until social peace returns to Tunisia and until we save the state.” As people took to the streets, local media have reported a mixed reaction from the population.
Prime Minister Mechichi was a member of the moderate Islamic party Ennahda, which came out of the 2011 revolution with a strong majority support- receiving more votes in the country’s first democratic elections than the next four runner-ups combined.
In response to the upheaval of the Tunisian government, Parliament Speaker and long-time leader of Ennahda, Rached Ghannouchi, accused President Saied of orchestrating “a coup against the revolution and constitution.”
“We consider the institutions to be still standing and supporters of Ennahda and the Tunisian people will defend the revolution,” he added.
Heart of Tunisia and Karama, two other Tunisian political parties, repeated the coup accusations.
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The unrest follows months of disputes between Saied, and the now-former Prime Minister Mechichi, resulting in a fragmented Parliament and an inefficient government. Economic progress for the country has been slow, and the COVID-19 crisis has reached unprecedented levels.
While President Saied’s detractors called it a coup-attempt and a breach of the country’s constitution, local and international media reported that tens of thousands of people took to the streets celebrating the firing of Mechichi, as well as the assembly’s 30 day suspension.
Reportedly, President Saied was seen joining the crowd’s celebration in the country’s capital, Tunis.
When the Parliament Speaker Ghannouchi attempted to enter the assembly early Monday morning to challenge the President’s decision, he was stopped from entering by the military stationed around the building.
“I am against gathering all powers in the hands of one person,” Ghannouchi said outside the assembly, also announcing his intention to hold a sit-in as a form of protest to the decision.
Ennahda and Saied supporters were shown by local media throwing rocks and exchanging insults between each other, in addition to reports of the supporters of the evicted Prime Minister attempting to storm the Parliamentary building. There are also reports of injuries, as well as Ennahda supporters attacking Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath journalists.
Al-Arabiya reports, citing “unconfirmed reports,” that the government has detained the former Prime Minister, and could be currently holding him in the country’s military headquarters.
“Whoever directs a weapon other than the legitimate one will be met with a weapon, but I do not want a single drop of blood to be shed,” warned the President.
