Tunisian police stand guard outside the parliament in Tunis on July 27, 2021. (Photo by AFP)
Tunisias biggest political party, Ennahda, has called for national dialogue to get the country out of the political crisis sparked by the presidents dismissals of the government and parliament.
In a reversal of previous calls to its supporters to take to the streets against President Kais Saieds actions, Ennahda -- the lead party in Tunisias fractious ruling coalition -- urged dialogue and efforts to avoid civil strife.
"The movement... calls on all Tunisians to increase solidarity, synergy and unity and to confront all calls for sedition and civil strife," it said in a statement on Tuesday.
Ennahda also told supporters through party branches not to resume a sit-in outside the parliament and to avoid protests.
Tunisia, the cradle of the Arab Spring protests a decade ago, was thrust into a constitutional crisis on Sunday after Saied sacked Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspended the countrys parliament for 30 days.
Saied said he would be running the countrys executive affairs in cooperation with a premier of his own choosing in the wake of violent protests across the North African nation over the governments handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the countrys ailing economy.
Ennahda said at the time that the move was "a coup detat" against the 2011 revolution that ousted former Western-backed ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, as well as against the countrys constitution. The party called on all its supporters to protest against Saieds decision.
Earlier in the day, the Tunisian president dismissed more officials amid political crisis, including Defense Minister Ibrahim Bartaji and Hasna Ben Slimane, the acting justice minister.
Saied also urged Tunisians to remain calm and not to take to the streets, saying, "The most danger a nation can face is internal explosion."
The Tunisian president had on Monday imposed a night curfew for a month after clashes between the supporters and opponents of his decision left several people injured.
Years of paralysis, corruption, declining state services and growing unemployment had agitated many Tunisians on their political system before the COVID-19 pandemic smashed the economy last year and infection rates surged this summer.
The Tunisian president and parliament were both elected in separate popular votes in 2019 while the prime minister took office last summer, with Saied swearing to overhaul a complex political system plagued by corruption.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/23200
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