Crisis in Tunisia: street fighting after the prime minister was dismissed

Tunisia is facing one of its worst crises: President Saied first fired Prime Minister Mechichi, then the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Justice. There were riots in front of parliament.

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied has also dismissed the Justice and Defense Ministers after Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi. Saied had passed a corresponding decree, announced the presidential office. Defense Minister Ibrahim Bartaji and the incumbent Justice Minister Hasna Ben Slimane have to vacate their posts. The ministries are to be led by lower-ranking officials for the time being.

Saied yesterday deposed Prime Minister Mechichi by decree in a controversial move and frozen the work of parliament for an initial 30 days. The immunity of all MPs was lifted. Saied announced in an approximately ten-minute speech that he himself would conduct official business with Mechichi’s successor. In addition to a new prime minister, Saied also wants to appoint the new members of the government.

“Coup against the constitution”

In Tunisia, Saied has been fighting for months with the Islamic-conservative Ennahda party, which includes the deposed head of government Mechichi and parliamentary president Rached Ghannouchi. Among other things, it is about a distribution of power between the president, government and parliament.

The former law professor Saied assured him that he was within the constitution. In Article 80, this gives him the right to take extraordinary measures in the event of a “threat to the unity, security and independence of the country”. However, he has to consult with the head of government for this. Article 80 does not provide for a right to the complete dissolution of Parliament.

The Islamist ruling party Ennahdha accused the president of a “coup against the revolution and against the constitution” on their Facebook page. “The Ennahdha members and the Tunisian people will defend the revolution.”

Angry demonstrators demanded access

The parliament building in the capital Tunis was closed that evening and surrounded by security forces. Angry demonstrators went there and demanded access. Some tried to climb over the gate where an armored military vehicle was parked. According to the Al-Arabija news channel, which is financed by Saudi Arabia, there were also wrangling between demonstrators and Saied’s supporters.

The military prevented President Ghannouchi from entering the building. He is the head of the Islamic-conservative Ennahda party, the strongest force in parliament. Ghannouchi called on his supporters to go to parliament. “We swore to defend our homeland,” said a security official in a video released by the party. There were also reports of attacks on Ennahda party offices.

President calls for curfew

President Saied has now declared an evening curfew. This applies from now until August 27 from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., according to a statement by the President’s Office on Facebook. The only exceptions are for urgent medical emergencies and night workers. In addition, no more than three people should meet in public.

Supporters celebrate Saieds

Saied’s supporters celebrated his announcements on the streets of the country at night despite a corona curfew. They lit beacons and fireworks and waved flags. Some sang the national anthem. Videos showed military vehicles passing through clapping groups of Tunisians.

Saied also appeared in Tunis that night and greeted his supporters. It is not a coup d’état, assured the president, who has been in office since 2019. Saied asserts that he is within the legal framework. With a view to possible unrest in the country, he said: “I do not want to shed a single drop of blood.” Violence is answered immediately with violence from the security forces.

German government is “very concerned”

The German government expressed itself “very concerned” about the recent escalation of the political situation in Tunisia: “We think that it is now important to return to constitutional order really quickly,” said a spokeswoman for the Federal Foreign Office. All sides were called upon to “guarantee compliance and implementation of the constitution in Tunisia”.

This also includes compliance with civil liberties, which were one of the most important achievements of the Tunisian revolution. “In this respect, we call on everyone to speak to all constitutional organs, to keep calm and to restore the parliament’s ability to work as soon as possible,” said the spokeswoman.

USA urge prudence

The US government also expressed concern at the worsening political situation. There are talks between the White House and the State Department with Tunisian politicians “to learn more about the situation, to urge prudence and to support Tunisian efforts to continue along democratic principles,” said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

A lot has happened in Tunisia in the past 24 hours, said Psaki. She did not answer directly to the question of whether the US government viewed the action in Tunisia as a coup. Such a “legal statement” would have to come from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she said. There is still no such conclusion.

High unemployment, corruption and corona

Tunisia was the only country in the region to make the transition to democracy after the 2011 uprisings that toppled long-term ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Since then, the country has seen more than ten changes of government. In waves of protest, thousands of demonstrators vented their anger, among other things because of high unemployment and the still widespread corruption. In the past few days there have been protests again for days due to the sharp rise in the number of corona cases and the ongoing economic crisis.