LOC11:11
08:11 GMT
TUNIS, July 26 (KUNA) -- Tunisian President Kais Saied affirmed that freezing the parliament and dismissing the Prime Minister is not a coup attempt, noting that he had already informed the Speaker and Prime Minister on his decisions.
These decisions come in accordance with article 80 of the Tunisian constitution, which permits the president to take extreme measures in the presence of threat to the country's security and stability, Saied said while addressing a number of Tunisians who gathered in Avenue Habib Bourguiba early Monday.
The President added that he had consulted Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and Speaker Rachid Gannouchi before taking the decisions, however, they conspired against him. "I will bring everyone guilty of embezzling Tunisia's public funds to justice," he said.
Saied hoped to avoid any bloodshed, "but if anyone held their weapons against the Tunisian people, we will do the same."
Meanwhile, Ghannouchi posted a video on his Facebook page showing Tunisian army preventing him and other MPs from entering the parliament. He called on his supporters and other MPs to come to the parliament and defend democracy, adding that the president did not inform him on using article 80.
In the same context, the Democratic Current MP Samia Abbouh described the decision as a "historic" step, noting that the parliament violated the constitution on many levels.
On his part, MP Manji Al-Rahawi affirmed that several parties have called for implementing article 80 on different occasions before, noting that corrupt officials are the only ones affected by the President's decisions.
Moreover, MP in the Heart of Tunisia party Ayyadh Al-Loumi described Saied's decisions as a continuous violation of the Tunisian constitution. (end)
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