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The White House stated that during the call with the Tunisian President, US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan emphasized the need to “swiftly form a new government.”
The White House stated that US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan urged Tunisian President Keith Said to quickly return to the “democratic road” a few days after he was shocked to seize power.
On July 25, Said raised a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic and poor governance to remove Prime Minister Hichem Mečić, freeze Parliament for 30 days, and seize administrative control. This move plunged Tunisia into political turmoil, which was initially condemned as a coup by major political parties including Ennahdha, the largest parliamentary political group. Said denied this accusation.
In an hour-long conference call on Saturday, Sullivan emphasized to Said that it is necessary to “swiftly form a new government led by a capable prime minister to stabilize Tunisia’s economy and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Ensure timely return to the elected parliament”, the White House National Security Council said in a statement.
According to the statement, Sullivan pointed out that he supports “Tunisian democracy based on fundamental rights, strong institutions, and a commitment to the rule of law.”
After the conference call, the Tunisian President did not immediately issue a statement.
The turmoil in a country is also plagued by a surge in COVID-19 infections and a severe economic crisis (marked by soaring inflation and high unemployment), which disturbs allies in Europe and the United States. However, some regional countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have affirmed their confidence and support for Tunisia’s leadership.
According to local media reports, last Friday, Tunisian authorities imprisoned an opposition parliamentarian and briefly detained four members of Ennahdha. According to party official Riadh Chaidi, after Said’s announcement last week, Ennahdha members were taken before the investigating magistrate and accused of trying to incite violence outside the parliament building.
Chai Di told the Associated Press that the four were interrogated but were later released due to lack of evidence of violence.
Ennahdha has been a major participant in Tunisian legislative elections since the Tunisian Revolution in 2011 inspired the Arab Spring uprising throughout the region.
Earlier Friday, four other parliamentarians were also detained and one judge was placed under house arrest.
Said accused 460 businessmen of owing the country 13.5 billion dinars ($4.9 billion), and he promised that he would “not become a dictator” after his arrest.
The presidential palace quoted the former law professor as saying: “I know the texts of the constitution very well, respect them and teach them. After all, I will not become a dictator as some people say.”
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