UPDATE - International arrest warrant issued for former Tunisian president

ADDS STATEMENT FROM MARZOUKI

By Mehmet Akif Turan and Muhammed Semiz

TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) - Tunisia has issued an international arrest warrant for former President Moncef Marzouki, the state news agency TAP reported Thursday.

There were no details on the charges Marzouki faced, and the report said the arrest notice was issued by the communications office of the Tunis First Instance Court.

Speaking to the Qatar-based Al Jazeera news channel, Marzouki commented on the move, saying he was not surprised.

Noting that he was expecting such a move, the former leader said the arrest warrant is "a threat message for all Tunisians."

An investigation was launched against Marzouki on Oct. 15 for his statements on the International Francophonie Summit.

Speaking on France 24's Arabic channel, he said he tried to prevent the summit from being held in Tunisia as he believed it would support "the coup," referring to the seizure of near total power by President Kais Saied.

Marzouki, who was president from 2011 to 2014, also accused Saied of dividing the Tunisian people.

On July 25, Saied ousted the government, suspended parliament and assumed executive authority. While he insists that his "exceptional measures" are meant to "save" the country, critics accuse him of orchestrating a coup.

A new Cabinet was unveiled last month, two weeks after Najla Bouden was appointed as the country’s first female prime minister.

Tunisia has been seen as the only country that succeeded in carrying out a democratic transition after the popular "Arab Spring" uprisings in 2011.​​​​​​​