Tunisian President Kais Saied Denies Coup Accusations

JAKARTA - Tunisian President Kais Saied rejected accusations that he had carried out a coup after removing Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and freezing parliament, Monday, July 26 yesterday.

Citing Arab News Tuesday 27 July, President Saied used emergency powers under the constitution, after months of stalemate and disagreement with the Islamist party Ennahda.

President Saied said he had taken the necessary decision to save Tunisia, the state and the people of Tunisia," following street protests against the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to the prime minister, President Saied also dismissed Tunisian Defense Minister Ibrahim Bartaji and Hasna Ben Slimane, the acting justice minister, and ordered a curfew to be imposed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time.

President Saied said his actions were a constitutional and popular response to years of economic and political paralysis, and the constitution gave him the power to dissolve the government, appoint an interim government, freeze parliament and lift the immunity of its members.

"I warn anyone who thinks of using a gun and anyone who fires a bullet, the armed forces will respond with bullets," he said in a televised statement.

Meanwhile, dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi said he would not be a disruptive element, and would hand over responsibility to whoever the president chose. He is ready to serve Tunisia in any role, said Mechichi.

Separately, mobs flooded the streets of the capital Tunis in support of the president's actions. Soldiers blockaded the parliament building in Tunis and surrounded Mechichi's office. Outside the building, rival supporters of Saied and Ennahda threw insults and bottles at each other.

"We are here to protect Tunisia. We have seen all the tragedies under the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood," said Ayman, one of the president's supporters.

In response to the situation, Parliament Speaker and Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi, condemning what happened and calling it an attack on democracy, urged the Tunisian people to take to the streets in opposition.

"Kais Saied dragged the country into disaster," Ghannouchi told Turkish television.