Tunisian crisis deepens as President takes judicial power

Tunis: Deepening the political crisis in Tunisia after the removal of the Prime Minister and suspending the country's Parliament for 30 days, President Kais Saied has taken out powers from key senior officials, including prosecutors and judges leaving the country in a state of emergency.

The recent development caused by President's actions is widely viewed to be pushing the country into uncertain days where the democratically elected government has now become defunct. Saied is also accused of taking Tunisia back to an autocratic regime that ruled the country for decades until the Arab spring.

The new developments began on Tunisia's Republic Day on July 25, when thousands of people demonstrated their anger over a number of issues, including a failing economy, a surging COVID case and widespread anger at the government.

Protestors were said to have demanded the suspension of Parliament, citing the incompetence of the government in resolving the simmering issues that directly affect the public. Scuffles between police and protesters broke out at several points. Police in Tunis, the capital, fired tear gas and made several arrests.

Tunisia is the only country left with democracy after the Arab Spring.

Saied has yet to nominate one as the new Prime Minister.

Videos on social media on Sunday appeared to show some demonstrators vandalizing the local party offices of Ennahda. The moderate Islamist party has been the most significant player in Tunisian politics since the country's 2011 revolution. It holds a plurality of seats in parliament, but it is unpopular among many segments of the population.