Since last Sunday evening, the pace of events in Tunisia has accelerated, which began with President Kais Saied announcing a set of exceptional decisions and measures based - as he put it - on Article 80 of the constitution approved by the people in 2014.
Said's decisions, which were supported by some and opposed by others, sparked controversy both internally and externally, and Tunisia became at the forefront of people's conversations on social media.
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Sunday evening,
July
25
, 2021
The Tunisian President announced - after an emergency meeting with military and security leaders - that Al-Mashishi was relieved of his post and freezing the work and powers of Parliament for 30 days.
Saeed decided to take over the executive power with the help of a prime minister appointed by him.
Most of the parliamentary blocs in Tunisia opposed these decisions, as the "Ennahda" movement (53 deputies out of 217) considered it a "coup", and the Qalb Tounes bloc (29 deputies) considered it a "grave breach of the constitution", and the Democratic Current bloc (22 deputies) rejected the decision. It resulted in it, and the Dignity Coalition bloc (18 seats) described it as "false", while the People's Movement supported it (15 deputies).
- Riad Al-Shuaibi, political advisor to the President of the Ennahda Movement, called on state institutions not to implement Said's decisions.
Tunisian Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi (Al Jazeera)
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Monday,
July
26
An army force prevents Ghannouchi and his first deputy, Samira Chaouachi, from entering Parliament.
Clashes between supporters and opponents of the decision to freeze parliament’s powers in front of the parliament’s headquarters in the capital, with the security intervention to dissolve it.
Security forces storm the office of Al-Jazeera news channel in the capital, and ask the correspondents to leave the place.
- Said issues a decision relieving Minister of Defense Ibrahim El-Bartajy, Acting Minister of Justice Hasnaa bin Suleiman, in addition to Al-Mashichi from their positions.
Saeed decides to suspend work in government institutions for two days, with the exception of the army, police and health personnel.
Saeed imposes a night curfew in the country from seven in the evening until six in the morning, lasting for a month, and according to the statement, "urgent health cases and night employers" are excluded from the curfew, with the possibility of amending this period.
The decision also stipulated the prohibition of any gathering of more than 3 people on the public road and in public squares
- The president assigns Director of Presidential Security Khaled Al Yahyaoui to supervise the Ministry of Interior.
Clashes broke out in the streets between supporters and opponents of President Said outside the fortified parliament building, injuring several people.
The Ministry of Interior closed the Al-Jazeera office in the capital, Tunis.
Parliament strongly condemns - in a statement - Saeed's decisions, declaring its absolute rejection of them.
Ghannouchi confirmed in a press statement that the Assembly of the Representatives of the People is in place and will complete its work.
- The Tunisian General Labor Union (the oldest labor organization in the country) called for the need to take constitutional guarantees accompanying the exceptional measures taken by Said.
Al-Karama Coalition (18 deputies) expressed its categorical rejection of Said's decisions, calling on the people to defend their freedom and revolution.
Saeed said that he made decisions based on what the constitution authorizes, and he wonders how some people talk about a coup, indicating that they are in line with the constitution.
- Said called, during a meeting with members of the Tunisian Supreme Judicial Council, not to slip behind the advocates of chaos, stressing the independence of the judiciary at the delicate stage in Tunisia's history.
Al-Mashishi announced in a statement that he will hand over the responsibility to the person who will be assigned by the president to head the government, and that he is lining up as always on the side of the people.
- Head of the Free Constitutional Party and its parliamentary bloc (16 deputies) Abeer Moussa welcomed Said's decisions, calling for the need for radical reform.
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Tuesday
27
July يوليو
- Said relieved officials in high positions in the state from their duties, in a new package of dismissals, according to what was stated in the latest publications of Al-Raed (the official newspaper of Tunisia).
The exemptions included Al-Moez Li Din Allah Al-Muqaddam, director of the debts of the dismissed Prime Minister (Al-Mishi), and the government's Secretary General, Walid Al-Dhahabi.
- It also included all the advisors of the dismissed prime minister, who are Rashad bin Ramadan, Salim al-Tisawi and Mufdi al-Masadi, and the head of the General Authority for Martyrs and Wounded People of the Revolution and Terrorist Operations, Abdul Razzaq al-Kilani.
President Kais Saied (right) and the dismissed Prime Minister Hisham Al-Mashishi (Anadolu Agency)
- According to a statement issued by its executive office after an emergency meeting, the Ennahda movement called on political and civil forces to intensify consultations on the latest developments in order to preserve democratic gains.
- Said held talks with the General Labor Union within the framework of its first major meetings since the crisis.
Wednesday
28
July
The Tunisian judiciary has opened an investigation with 3 political parties, Ennahda, Qalb Tounes, and Aish Tounsi, on suspicion of receiving foreign funds during the 2019 election campaign, according to what was reported by the media about the spokesperson for the Court of First Instance in Tunis. .
President Qais Saeed, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, meets with members of the Supreme Council of Armies and senior security leaders.
- The president meets with the head of the Tunisian Federation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, Samir Majoul, announcing that 460 people have looted Tunisian money, offering them a settlement if they return it, saying that about 5 billion dollars were stolen from the country, also calling on merchants to reduce prices
- The Tunisian President decides to relieve the Director General of the National Television in Tunisia, Mohamed Lassad Al-Dahesh, from his post, and assign Ms. Awatef Al-Dali to run the institution temporarily.
- A presidential decision to create an operation room to manage the Corona pandemic and implement the national vaccination strategy.
Thursday 29 July
- The Tunisian General Labor Union announced that it is preparing a road map to be presented to the President of the Republic, Kais Saied, to get the country out of the current political crisis.
- The Public Prosecutor of the Court of Appeal in Tunis authorizes the opening of an investigation against the former head of the National Anti-Corruption Authority, Chawki Tabib, regarding the complaint submitted by the Transparency and Good Governance Observatory regarding “violations that affected the financial and administrative behavior of the authority during his presidency.”
Head of the "Dignity Coalition" bloc, Seif El-Din Makhlouf (Al-Jazeera)
- A judicial investigation was opened with members of parliament, including the head of the "Dignity Coalition" bloc, Seif El-Din Makhlouf, the head of the Arbitration and Reconciliation Committee of the Truth and Dignity Commission, Khaled Al-Kraishi, Mabrouk Kurshid, Mahdi Zagrouba (lawyer) and Samah Al-Khumassi (lawyer).
- Tunisian journalist Ziad El-Hani announced that he has filed two cases with the Administrative Court to cancel the recent decisions taken by the President of the Republic.
- US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken calls on Kais Saied to return to the democratic path, and expressed his country's fears of the possibility of Tunisia deviating from its democratic path and taking steps that contradict the constitution, such as freezing the activity of Parliament.
- Leaders in the Ennahda movement went to hold their party part of the responsibility for what happened, despite some describing what happened as “unconstitutional.” The prominent leader of the movement, Ali Al-Arid, published a lengthy post on his Facebook page in which he presented his own vision of the current events in Tunisia.