About two days after the decisions taken by Tunisian President Kais Saied to overthrow the government and freeze parliament, the first official comment came from the African Union, while other Arab and international reactions continued.
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, said that he is closely following the events taking place there, and that for this purpose he made a call to the Tunisian Foreign Minister, during which he affirmed the African Union's commitment to "strict respect" of the Tunisian Constitution.
Faki said that peace must be preserved, all forms of violence should be renounced, and political dialogue should be strengthened to resolve issues in this country.
Yesterday evening, Sunday, Tunisian President Kais Saied announced - after an emergency meeting with military and security leaders - the freezing of the powers of Parliament, and the exemption of Prime Minister Hisham Al-Mashishi from his duties, provided that he himself assumes the executive authority with the help of a government that appoints its head.
These decisions - which were opposed by most of the parliamentary blocs - came after protests in several governorates the day before yesterday;
It demanded the overthrow of the entire ruling system and accused the opposition of failing, in light of political, economic and health crises.
The “loose” interpretation of the constitution
And the reactions coming from the European continent followed. The European Union called for the resumption of Tunisian parliamentary activity as soon as possible.
In a statement, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that parliamentary activity in Tunisia must be resumed as soon as possible.
The union called for institutional stability in the country, respect for basic rights and the renunciation of violence in all its forms.
The statement added that the democratic foundations of Tunisia must be preserved and respect for the rule of law, the constitution and the legislative framework, and stressed the priority of preserving democracy and stability of the country.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said the suspension of parliament was based on "a rather loose interpretation of the constitution".
The spokesperson expressed concern about the developments, noting the "good and amazing progress" made by Tunisia which shows that democracy has taken root since 2011.
The spokesman added - in response to a journalist's question - "We do not want to call it a coup, we will certainly seek to hold talks with the Tunisian ambassador in Berlin."
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio also expressed his concern about the events in Tunisia, expressing his confidence that the Tunisian parties will be able to overcome the current political crisis within the boundaries of the democratic framework.
"A great concern is happening in Tunisia at the moment," Di Maio said - in a statement reported by the Italian news agency today, Tuesday - but I am confident that this crisis can be resolved within the limits of the democratic framework with the tools available to Tunisian institutions and the Tunisian people.
For his part, European Parliament President David Sassoli called - on Twitter - "all parties in Tunisia to restore order and return to dialogue," noting that the focus of all political action should be the fight against the pandemic, and the interests of the people.
France also called for respect for the rule of law in Tunisia, and urged all political parties to avoid violence.
The US State Department had called on all parties in Tunisia to avoid taking any measures that would "stifle democratic discourse", adding - in a statement - that it assured Tunisian officials that the solution to political and economic problems must be based on the constitution.
The United Nations called for resolving all disputes and differences in Tunisia through dialogue, and urged all parties in the country to exercise restraint and refrain from violence.
The latest Arabic positions
In the latest Arab reactions;
Jordan expressed its hope that Tunisia will overcome the "difficult situations" it is going through, stressing that it will follow up on developments in it.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said - in a tweet on his Twitter account yesterday - "We are following developments in sisterly Tunisia, and we hope that the brothers will overcome these difficult situations in a way that preserves Tunisia's safety, security and stability, achieves the aspirations of its dear people, and protects its interests, gains, path and achievements."
While the Moroccan Justice and Development Party - the leader of the government coalition - considered what happened in Tunisia "painful", expressing confidence in the ability of the Tunisian parties to overcome the crisis.
Suleiman El Amrani, Deputy Secretary-General of the party, said - on the sidelines of presenting his party's electoral program in the capital, Rabat - that what happened in Tunisia is painful for all of us, and we pity the Tunisian experience (in reference to the 2011 revolution), which was inspiring all democratic experiments in the regional context.
previous positions
Earlier, other Arab positions were issued;
The head of the Libyan High Council of State, Khaled Al-Mashri, announced his rejection of what he considered a "coup" against the elected bodies.
Qatar also called on the parties to the crisis in Tunisia to "uphold the interests of the brotherly Tunisian people, give precedence to the voice of wisdom, and avoid escalation and its repercussions on Tunisia's march and experience, which has won respect in the regional and international environments."
The Saudi and Kuwaiti foreign ministers also discussed with their Tunisian counterpart - in a telephone conversation - the current developments in Tunisia.
The Arab League said - earlier - that the Tunisian foreign minister also briefed it on the situation, and called for the return of stability and calm in Tunisia.
A statement by the Algerian presidency stated that President Abdelmadjid Tebboune received a phone call from his Tunisian counterpart.
Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin commented, "We refuse to suspend the democratic process and ignore the democratic will of the friendly and brotherly Tunisian people. We condemn initiatives that lack constitutional legitimacy and popular support, and we believe that Tunisian democracy will emerge stronger from this process."