The dissolution of Tunisia’s parliament was denounced by Turkiye’s president on Monday as “a blow to the Tunisian people’s will.”
In a statement, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “We regret that the Assembly of People’s Representatives, which held a General Assembly session in Tunisia on March 30, 2022, was dissolved, and an inquiry against the deputies who attended the session was initiated.”
“We hope that these developments will not jeopardize Tunisia’s ongoing transition to democratic legitimacy, and we place a high value on the election Road Map,” he added.
Ankara believes that the North African country’s transition “can only be successful through a comprehensive and meaningful dialogue with the participation of all sectors of society, including the assembly, which embodies the national will,” according to him.
“We see Tunisia’s developments as a stain on democracy,” said the president. “The dissolution of the parliament, which includes elected officials, raises concerns about Tunisia’s future and is a blow to the Tunisian people’s will.”
During this time, Turkiye will continue to support Tunisia and the Tunisian people, he said.
Tunisia has been mired in a deep political crisis since President Kais Saied dismissed the government, suspended parliament, and assumed executive authority in a move denounced as a “coup” by opponents.
It was widely regarded as the only Arab country to successfully complete a democratic transition, including Egypt, Libya, and Yemen, where popular revolutions toppled ruling regimes.