Tunisia’s president said he decided to freeze the Tunisian parliament, suspend the immunity of all deputies, and dismiss Prime Minister Hicham Mechichi after violent protests in several Tunisian cities.
President Kais Saied said on Sunday that he will assume the presidency of the executive authority with the assistance of a new prime minister.
The announcement came hours after police and protesters clashed in several Tunisian cities as demonstrators demanding the government step down after a spike in COVID-19 cases that has aggravated economic troubles.
In Tunis on Sunday, police used pepper spray against protesters who threw stones and shouted slogans demanding that Prime Minister Mechichi quit and parliament be dissolved.
Witnesses said protesters stormed or tried to storm the offices of Ennahda, the biggest party in parliament, in Monastir, Sfax, El Kef and Sousse, while in Touzeur they set fire to the party’s local headquarters.
The protests raise pressure on a fragile government that is enmeshed in a political struggle with President Saied, who is trying to avert a looming fiscal crisis amid a weeks-long spike in COVID-19 cases and increased death rates.
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