US senators urge Tunisia's president to respect democracy

US Senator Chris Murphy on Saturday called on Tunisian President Kais Saied to reverse his July decision on seizing governing powers, urging him to return to democracy.

His remarks were made during an official visit to Tunis alongside Senator Jon Ossoff. They discussed Saied's move to dissolve parliament and dismiss the prime minister.

Murphy made a series of tweets about his talks with Saied at Carthage Palace.

I just finished meeting with Tunisian President Kais Saied at Carthage Palace. Here’s my quick readout:

1/ I urged a prompt return to the democratic path and a swift end to the emergency state.

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) September 4, 2021

Meanwhile, dozens of people protested in Tunis on Saturday against the US congressional delegation, in what they called US intervention in their affairs.

The US delegation's visit comes part of a regional visit that included Lebanon, Israel and the West Bank.

In a statement released by the Tunisian presidency, Saied stressed that the measures he took were in full respect of the constitution and reflected a "broad popular will" in the country, in contract to "false allegations".

Saied dismissed on 25 July his prime minister, froze parliament and assumed executive authority in a sudden intervention that his Islamist opponents have labelled a coup but that he said was necessary to save the country from collapse. Last week, the exceptional measures were indefinitely extended.