Tunisia's populist President Kais Saied announced Sunday the suspension of the country's parliament and the dismissal of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi following a day of protests against the government's handling of the Covid-19 crisis but parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi accused the President of seizing on the events to launch a "coup".
Saied announced the moves following an emergency meeting at his palace after thousands of Tunisians marched in several cities protesting about government failures in the North African nation and crippling coronavirus rates.
"The constitution does not allow for the dissolution of parliament, but it does allow for its work to be suspended," the president said, citing Article 80 which permits such a measure in case of "imminent danger".
Saied said he would take over executive power "with the help" of a government headed by a new chief appointed by the president himself.
He also said that the immunity would be lifted for parliamentary deputies.
But in statements to Al-Araby al-Jadeed, our Arabic edition, Ennahda leader and Ghannoushi's political advisor Riad al-Shu'aibi said "what happened is a coup against the constitution and state institutions, seizing powers that the constitution does not grant to (President Kais) Saeid, including suspending parliament and lifting immunity from MPs", adding that assuming broad executive powers "reminds us of the power grab by dictatorships following coups".
"It seems that what happened today, including the attack (by protesters) on Ennahda offices was planned, to create unrest to justify the decisions taken by the president", he added.
Ennahda, he continued, rejects all these measures and calls on all forces opposed to them to make themselves heard, and calls on the prime minister to continue to discharge his duties, oversee institutions, and adhere to the constitution.
Despite a decade passing since the 2011 revolution which overthrew dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia remains prone to chronic political turmoil that has stymied efforts to revive crumbling public services.
The country's fractious political class has been unable to form lasting, effective governments.
Since Saied was elected president in 2019, he has been locked in a showdown with Mechichi and parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi.
Their rivalry has blocked ministerial appointments and diverted resources away from tackling Tunisia's many economic and social problems, posing a grave threat to the Arab world's only post-Arab Spring democracy and threatening a return to the dark days of the Ben Ali regime.
Initials reports out of the capital Tunis suggest a violent night, with unknown mobs attacking Ennahda party offices and troops deployed. Unconfirmed reports say the airport and borders have been shut. For many observers in the Arab world tonight, these scenes are reminiscent of the Saudi- and UAE-backed purge against democratically elected Islamists in Egypt in the 2013 coup led by current President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.
That purge ended up nipping Egypt's democracy in the bud.
President Saeid and other 'ancien regime' and populist elements in Tunisia have previously been accused of receiving political from the UAE, which has proclaimed 'political Islam' everywhere as its archenemy.
In April, it was reported that Kais Saeid was planning just such a 'soft coup', but it was denied at the time.
In May, Middle East Eye said it had obtained a secret document outlining a planned coup.