The political crisis in Tunisia is taking a new step.

Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed announced on Wednesday March 30 the dissolution of Parliament, eight months after having suspended it to assume full powers in July 2021.

Kais Saied made the announcement during a meeting of the National Security Council which he chaired, hours after some 120 MPs defied the suspension of parliament by organizing a virtual session, during which they voted to cancel the exceptional measures decided since by the president.

"I am announcing today at this historic moment the dissolution of the Assembly of People's Representatives to preserve the state and its institutions, and to preserve the Tunisian people," Kaïs Saïed said in a video released by the presidency.

After months of political blockage, Kaïs Saïed, elected at the end of 2019, assumed full powers on July 25 by dismissing the Prime Minister and suspending the Parliament dominated by the Islamist-inspired party Ennahda, his pet peeve.

An online session of the Assembly suspended

On September 22, the Head of State formalized his full powers through "exceptional measures" which extend the suspension of Parliament.

They also allow him to legislate by decree, to preside over the Council of Ministers and to amend laws.

At the call of the Office of the Assembly of People's Representatives (ARP), a body which brings together the Presidency of Parliament and representatives of the parties sitting there, 120 deputies (out of a total of 217) took part in this plenary on Wednesday in line, chaired by Tarek Fertiti, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, an independent.

The president of the ARP, Rached Ghannouchi, also leader of the Ennahdha party, did not take part in this plenary session.

One hundred and sixteen MPs voted in favor of a bill aimed at reversing the exceptional measures taken by Kais Saied, which they say are blocking the democratic process and establishing one-man rule in the country that was the cradle of the Arab Spring .

The deputies, including elected representatives from Ennahda and independents, also called for the organization of early legislative and presidential elections to get out of the political and socio-economic crisis.

With AFP

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