Turkey's AK party expresses ‘regret’ over Tunisia parliament dissolution

The Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP) yesterday expressed its “deep regret and concern” over the recent dissolution of the Tunisian parliament.

“Keeping parliaments open around the world is the biggest gain for countries,” AKP spokesperson, Omer Celik, told reporters in the Turkish capital Ankara, denouncing President Kais Saied’s decision to dissolve the Tunisian parliament on 30 March.

Describing Tunisia as a country with a “constitutional experience that was referred to as a model for other countries to emulate,” Celik stressed that the move must not “compromise the democratic gains of the Tunisian people.”

“Tunisia has made significant steps toward democracy that should not be neglected,” he said, noting that the recent developments posed a “threat to the gains of the Tunisian people.”

On Wednesday, the Tunisian parliament held a virtual session, during which lawmakers approved a law canceling the exceptional measures that were initiated by the country’s Saied on 25 July, including freezing the parliament and dissolving the Supreme Judiciary Council.

Hours later Saied announced on TV the dissolution of parliament, under the pretext of “preserving the state and its institutions from a failed coup attempt.”

Numerous political and social forces have repeatedly rejected Saied’s exceptional measures and described them as a “coup against the constitution.” Others say that his measures were a “correction to the course of the 2011 revolution.”

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