Tunisia: ‘Parliament poses a danger to the state,’ claims president

Tunisian President Kais Saied has said that the current parliament poses a danger to the state due to “lobbyists’ control”. He accused lobbyists in the country of seeking to “starve” the Tunisian people.

Said made his comments during his meeting on Tuesday with Minister of Commerce Mohamed Boussaid. He sought to justify his decision to extend the exceptional measures announced a month ago.

“Political institutions pose a serious danger to the state,” he claimed. “Parliament itself represents a hazard to the state, especially in light of the transactions and deals that took place inside it in order to pass laws in favour of the lobbies. These practices will be halted.”

The president also accused some lobbies of “the crime of starving the Tunisian people and harming their dignity. Everyone must live up to the challenges of this stage, as monopolistic policies, speculation and attempts to control the prices of goods and commodities must be countered.”

Saied announced on Tuesday the extension of the suspension of parliament “until further notice”, prompting concerns at home and abroad.

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