Tunisian Parliament Speaker, 64 Lawmakers Forbidden To Leave Country - Reports

CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th July, 2021) Tunisian President Kais Saied who has dismissed Prime Minister Hicham Mechichi, also banned Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi and 64 lawmakers from leaving the country, Tunisie Numerique reports citing an anonymous source.

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 said he was freezing parliament and decided to suspend immunity for all lawmakers for 30 days.

Tunisie Numerique said that the 64 lawmakers banned from leaving the country have pending court cases against them.

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 Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, were attacked.

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.