Jordan's Islamic Action Front slams 'coup' in Tunisia

By Gulsum Topcu

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) - The Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, reacted Monday against the 'coup' in Tunisia, saying it is "the plan of counter-revolutionary forces.”

"What happened in Tunisia is a continuation of the plans of the counter-revolutionary forces which target the will of the people and aim to return them to a dictatorship,” the IAF said in a statement.

The statement called on the Tunisian people to defend their legitimate institutions and urged the international community to condemn the "coup" against the elected government.

- What happened in Tunisia?

In a televised speech Sunday, Tunisian President Kais Saied said he will suspend the immunity of all members of parliament and take control of the general prosecutor’s office. He claimed that he had taken the decisions after consulting with Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi.

Ghannouchi, for his part, described Saied's moves as nothing but a "full-fledged coup" against the Tunisian constitution, revolution and freedoms in the country.

Tunisia has been gripped by a deep crisis since Jan. 16, when Mechichi announced a cabinet reshuffle but Saied refused to hold a ceremony to swear in the new ministers. The country also faces an unprecedented spread of COVID-19 strains in most states.

Tunisia is seen as the only country that succeeded in carrying out a democratic transition among a group of Arab countries that witnessed popular revolutions which toppled their ruling regimes, including Egypt, Libya and Yemen.