TUNIS: Tunisian President Kais Saied has extended his suspension of parliament "until further notice", a month after sacking his prime minister and granting himself greater powers in a shock intervention that opponents decried as a coup.
In a statement issued by the presidency late on Monday, Saied also extended an order freezing immunity for lawmakers and said he would address the Tunisian people in the coming days, without providing further details.
Tunisia, hailed as a rare democratic success story in the Middle East and North Africa, has been mired in political crisis since Saied's intervention, which comes as the country struggles with dire economic woes and the Covid-19 pandemic.
On July 25, Saied invoked the constitution to extend his authority, dismissing the head of government Hichem Mechichi and freezing parliament, in what activists have called a "purge" that has seen opponents, judges and businessmen arrested or banned from travel.
Saied issued "a presidential decree extending the exceptional measures... regarding the suspension of Parliament and lifting of the parliamentary immunity of its MPs until further notice", the presidency said in the statement.
Saied's intervention, which he said was necessary to prevent the country from collapse, sparked uncertainty for the North African nation.
He has yet to appoint a new government or reveal a "roadmap" for his decisions despite repeated demands by political parties.
While the president enjoys widespread popularity in Tunisia, his move has sparked fears in the international community that the cradle of the 2011 Arab Spring is regressing towards authoritarianism.
Analysts expect Saied will announce new measures to reassure the Tunisian public as well as the international community about his decisions. The intervention has faced condemnation from judges and Saied's opponents, in particular the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, the largest bloc in parliament.
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