President Kais Saied of Tunisia has dissolved the country’s parliament. He suspended the parliament eight months ago following widespread protests.
This happened as MPs met online on Wednesday to vote to overturn presidential orders that had given him near-total power since last year.
The president described the move by the parliament a “coup attempt.”
He claimed that parliament had “lost its legitimacy” and had “betrayed” the country, and that those who were responsible would face criminal charges.
Eight months ago, President Saed halted the MPs, took executive powers, and began the process of rewriting the constitution. Since then, he has ruled by decree.
Since then, dissatisfaction about Tunisia’s economic woes has spurred mass rallies, some of which have resulted in police violence.