Rached Ghannouchi, President of the Tunisian Parliament, stated on Friday that the parliament is in a state of permanent session and urged lawmakers to resume work, challenging President Kais Saied's decision to suspend the council's activities. This marks a new escalation in the political crisis plaguing the country. Ghannouchi’s announcement deepens the dispute over the legitimacy of Saied's decisions made in July when he assumed control over most legislative and executive powers, a move his opponents describe as a coup.
The moderate Islamic party leader tweeted that "the office of the Council of People's Representatives is in permanent session." Kais Saied, elected in 2019, has faced domestic and international pressure to form a new government after his intervention in July, which included dismissing the prime minister, suspending parliament, and taking on executive authority.
On Wednesday, Saied appointed Najla Bouden, a geologist with little political experience, as Prime Minister, making her the first woman to hold the position in Tunisia. Last week, the president annulled most parts of the constitution, asserting that he can govern by decrees and control the government independently during an exceptional period, the end of which has not been announced, raising further doubts about the democratic gains achieved following the 2011 revolution that marked the beginning of the Arab Spring protests. Earlier on Friday, security forces had cordoned off the parliament building in anticipation of arriving lawmakers.
