United States (US) Senator Chris Murphy has asked the Biden administration to investigate whether Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were involved in Tunisia’s “constitutional coup,” Middle East Eye reported.
“What role are Saudi Arabia and UAE playing in the Tunisian crisis? The Biden Administration should seek the answer to this question post haste,” Senator Murphy tweeted on Tuesday.
Elham Fakhro, a Middle East political analyst and researcher, pointed out that President Kais Saeid’s takeover had been presented favorably by media in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Senator Murphy shared Elham Fakhro’s tweet in his tweet as well.
On Sunday, President Saeid announced the suspension of parliament, the dismissal of the prime minister, and the assumption of executive power in the country.
Tunisian President Kais Saied said that he would use “extraordinary constitutional powers” on the grounds of “preventing the country from being dragged into a civil war” after a meeting with the security bureaucracy and the commanding staff in the evening of July 25.
The President announced that he dismissed Prime Minister Mechichi, suspended the work of the parliament for 30 days, and announced that he will appoint a new prime minister and attach the executive to him.
The proposal has been condemned by opposition politicians across the political spectrum, including Ennahda, the largest party in parliament. The leader of the Ennahda Movement, Rached Ghannouchi, who called the people to a peaceful struggle upon the decisions of President Saied, emphasized that this step, which had no legal basis, was a “coup d’etat.”
