Tunisia is in political turmoil after President Kais Saied suspended the Parliament, dismissed the government and assumed executive powers. Experts are of the opinion that it is too early to say how it is likely to impact Tunisia.
Dr Rizwan Ahmed Rafeequi, Secretary Islamic Academy, who is a keen observer of developments in the Muslim world, said on the possible reason behind the crisis, “The opposition has termed the crisis in Tunisia as a coup and the Ennahda movement called on Tunisians to take to the streets and defend the revolution and the constitution. The overthrowing of the Tunisian government seemed to stem from a confluence of events like the slow march toward democratic norms, collapsing economy, health crisis during Covid era and the global slowdown that offered little encouragement.”
On whether the crisis was spontaneous or planned, Rafeequi said, “The army did not announce an official position but prevented the Speaker and its members from entering the Parliament, and Army Chief and other leaders were present during Saied’s announcement of his decisions, which seems to be an implicit support for what was going on. It seems that the ground therefor has been prepared for a while and in stages, and the disruption of the establishment of the Constitutional Court, and the lack of cooperation with the government, confirms the existence of a pre-planning for what was announced.”
Rafeequi added, “There was a mobilisation on social media and other suspicious platforms, which indicates the presence of external interference in what is happening, including intelligence services. Since the election, the Tunisian president has adopted the principle of ambiguity and constantly exhibiting “the-people-want” sort of things without clarifying who exactly want and what they want. It looks that the Tunisian president establishes a mass system similar to that was established by the late Libyan Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry on July 27 said that the kingdom confirms its confidence in the Tunisian “leadership”, without specifying that “leadership”, at a time when President Saied overthrew Prime Minister Hisham Al-Mashishi and froze Parliament.
Qatar confirmed, in a statement issued by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on July 26 that it is following the developments of the political crisis in sisterly Tunisia, calling on all parties to the crisis to “uphold the interests of the Tunisian people, give precedence to the voice of wisdom and avoid escalation.”
The Turkish condemnation of the Qais Saied coup was issued by the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament, Mustafa Shantoub, who described the Tunisian president’s decisions as a “military and bureaucratic coup,” adding that “the Tunisian people will defend the constitutional law and order.” The Turkish Foreign Ministry also expressed its deep concern over the freezing of Parliament in Tunisia and expressed its hope that democratic legitimacy would be quickly re-established in the country.