In Tunisia, President Kaïs Saïed extends Parliament’s freeze – archyworldys

Tunisia plunges a little more into the unknown. The head of state, Kaïs Saïed, has decided to extend ” until further notice “ the freezing of Parliament, announced the presidency on the night of Monday 23 to Tuesday 24 August. Its activities have been suspended since July 25 coup, which allowed Mr. Saïed to grant himself all the powers.

Mr. Saïed “Issued a presidential decree extending the exceptional measures concerning the freezing of the activities of Parliament as well as the lifting of the immunity of all deputies, until further notice”, the presidency said in a brief statement on its Facebook page. The freezing of Parliament was initially planned to last 30 days.

While waiting for a roadmap

“The president will address the Tunisian people in the coming days”, added the presidency, without further details. On July 25, Mr. Saïed invoked the Constitution to grant himself full powers, dismiss the head of government and suspend Parliament for thirty days.

A decision denounced as a ” Rebellion “ by lawyers as well as by opponents of Mr. Saïed, in particular the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, the main parliamentary force in this country plagued by months of political blockages and an alarming progression of the Covid-19 epidemic.

Since his coup, President Saïed has still not appointed a new government or unveiled his ” roadmap “, demanded by several political parties and civil society organizations.