The sound of car horns was heard in the streets when the decision was announced shortly after a crisis meeting in the presidential palace.
– The constitution does not allow the parliament to be dissolved, but it allows for the work to be suspended, said the president with reference to section 80 which states that such measures can be used in cases of “imminent danger”.
President Saied further said that he will take over the role of executive “with the help” of a government led by a prime minister he himself will appoint.
Earlier Sunday, there were demonstrations in several cities against the government’s handling of the economic crisis and the corona crisis in the North African country.
In the capital Tunis, several hundred gathered in front of parliament in protest against the Islamist party Ennahda and Prime Minister Mechichi, demanding that parliament be dissolved.
There were also protests in the cities of Gafsa, Kairouan, Monastir, Sousse and Tozeur.
Tunisia has been overwhelmed by the corona crisis, which has claimed the lives of more than 18,000 of the country’s 12 million people.
Since the 2011 revolution that overthrew dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has been plagued by political unrest and an inability to form stable and effective governments.
(©NTB)
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