CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th July, 2021) The Tunisian army forces have surrounded the parliament building in the capital city, Tunis, after Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed Prime Minister Hicham Mechichi and said he was freezing parliament, radio Mosaique FM reports.
Speaking at a Sunday meeting with the leadership of the army and security forces, Saied said that he would now assume executive authority with the assistance of a new prime minister, to be appointed later. The Tunisian president also decided to suspend immunity for all members of parliament
According to Mosaique FM, soldiers were deployed to the area in front of the parliament building as well as that of Tunisian state television in Tunis after Saied's announcement.
Earlier on Sunday, protests were held in a number of Tunisian cities with demonstrators demanding that the government step down. Some offices of the Ennahda party, headed by Tunisian Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, were attacked.
Mosaique FM reported that protesters continued to attack Ennahda offices after Saied's announcement and that several of the party's headquarters had been set on fire.
Ghannouchi reportedly accused the president of committing a constitutional coup and a coup against the revolution on Sunday, after Saied made the announcement on dismissing the prime minister and freezing parliament.
