After the government was dismissed: the situation in Tunisia apparently calmed down

After turbulent days, the situation in Tunisia has apparently calmed down again. The party of the deposed Prime Minister called for a national dialogue. The EU calls for an end to the blockade of parliament.

In Tunisia, the situation has apparently calmed down after the removal of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi. In the capital, Tunis, the parliament building and key government facilities continued to be surrounded by security forces.

President Kais Saied also ordered that all work in public institutions be suspended for two days. A night curfew will apply again until the end of August. This has already been done several times to prevent the coronavirus from spreading.

Ennahda admits participation in protests

Tunisia’s largest party, the Islamic conservative Ennahda, called for national dialogue to end the political crisis and find solutions to pressing economic and social problems. At the same time, she admitted in a communication that she was behind recent protests critical of the government, which also called for the dissolution of parliament. The demonstrators had legitimate demands that needed solutions, it was now said.

Ennahda also called on Saied to reverse his decision to suspend the work of parliament for the time being. The President of Parliament and Ennahda boss Rached Ghannouchi is also currently denied access to the building. The military and security forces should stay out of the political dispute, it also said.

After his dismissal, Mechichi declared that he wanted to hand over responsibility to a successor, as ordered by the President. “I can never be a disruptive factor or part of the problem that complicates the situation,” he said. He will relinquish responsibility to “protect the safety of all Tunisians”. The announcement was his first public statement after he was disempowered.

EU calls for resumption of parliamentary work

The EU called on the Tunisian President Saied to end the blockade of parliament. “Preserving democracy and stability in the country are priorities,” said EU Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borrell. He called for the resumption of parliamentary work in compliance with human rights and without any form of violence. The EU is following the situation in Tunisia “with the utmost attention”. Borrell referred to the “considerable support” the EU and member states have given Tunisia during the pandemic and economic crisis.

After the government was disempowered, civil society groups also called on Saied not to prolong the extraordinary political situation beyond one month. In addition, Saied must show a “common way” for the way out of the crisis, it said in a statement by groups that include journalists, civil rights activists and human rights activists.

Roth calls on the federal government for help

Claudia Roth, Member of the Green Party, called on the federal government to help stabilize Tunisia. You must work to exert international pressure on President Saied and the military to bring the country back into democratic structures, Roth told the Catholic News Agency.

It contradicts a democratic government that Saied had deposed the prime minister, dissolved parliament for 30 days and lifted the immunity of the members of parliament, Roth continued. Tunisia must return to its constitutional order. In order to calm the great upheavals in the state apparatus and in the population, the establishment of parliament and a national dialogue are important prerequisites. Germany and the EU must continue to help contain the corona pandemic in the country and improve the desolate economic situation.

Corona pandemic has exacerbated the crisis in Tunisia

According to the union, Saied himself committed himself to democratic values ​​in a speech. In his own words, he wants to break the political blockade in the country and appoint a new head of government within 30 days.

Mechichi took up the post as Prime Minister in September 2020. He had the support of the two strongest parties in parliament, Ennahda and “Kalb Tounes” (heart of Tunisia). Like Mechichi, the two parties are at odds with President Saied. Tensions between Saied and Mechichi had increased after the president refused to swear in nearly a dozen new ministers in January, among other things.

The economic crisis exacerbated by the corona pandemic caused additional resentment among the population. There were protests in several Tunisian cities. Tunisia has long been considered the model country of the Arab Spring, which ended the rule of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011. However, there have been nine different governments in ten years since then. Some only lasted a few months, which made the urgently needed economic and administrative reforms de facto impossible.