Tunisian President, Kais Saied has sacked the Defence Minister and acting Justice Minister on Monday, a day after dismissing Prime Minister and suspending parliament.
Gatekeepers News had reported that the President on Sunday dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspended parliament, saying he will assume executive authority with the support of a new Prime Minister following the violent protests broke out in several Tunisian cities over the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy.
On Monday afternoon, a statement from the presidency announced the dismissals of Defence Minister Ibrahim Bartaji and acting Justice Minister Hasna Ben Slimane, who is also the government spokeswoman.
“No doubt about the fact that it’s coup,” Former President
Tunisia’s former president, Mouncef Marzouki has condemned the developments, describing Saied’s actions as a clear ‘coup’.
“There is no doubt about the fact that it’s coup because the president himself said I have all the powers,” said Marzouki.
“The main idea we have when writing the constitution is to say that the President is no longer the guy who has all the power.
“Tunisia was supposed to be a success story in the Arab world. But it’s no longer a success story. But let me remind you that we have this political crisis amidst the worst health crisis that we have ever had in Tunisia,” he added.
White House Raises Concern
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has said that the United States government is concerned about the developments in Tunisia.
“We are in touch at a senior level from both the White House and the State Department with Tunisian leaders to learn more about the situation,” said Psaki at Washington DC.
“We urge calm and support Tunisian efforts to move forward in line with democratic principles.”
“There have been a lot of developments even over the last 24 hours. we will look to the State Department to conduct a legal analysis before making a determination [on whether it’s a coup],” she added.
UN Calls For Restraint In Tunisia
United Nations has called on all parties in Tunisia “to exercise restraint, refrain from violence and ensure that the situation remains calm,” a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
“All disputes and disagreements should be resolved through dialogue,” UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said.
Haq, however, did not comment on whether the UN perceived the situation in Tunisia as a coup or not.
