Tunisia’s President Kais Saied has been accused of staging a coup by the main political parties in the country. The accusations came after he fired the prime minister and had parliament suspended.

The BBC reports that Saied said that his actions were in accordance with the constitution. Meanwhile, Tunisia’s Minister of Defence was also fired.

The President’s move followed violent protests on Sunday over the government’s handling of the pandemic as well as social and economic turmoil in the country. Saied’s supporters and opponents continued to clash on Monday in Tunis, pelting each other with stones.

The BBC reports that Saied, who was elected in 2019, and Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi have had a long-standing disagreement. Ennahda, the largest party in parliament, supports Mechichi. Sunday’s protests across Tunisia were against the PM and Ennahda, with the party’s headquarters in of Touzeur, set on fire.

Vowing to respond to any further escalation with military force, Saied said, “We have taken these decisions… until social peace returns to Tunisia and until we save the state.”

Meanwhile, according to the BBC, Al-Jazeera TV’s offices in Tunis had been raided. Staff had reportedly been asked to leave, and all equipment had been unplugged. The channel is seen as sympathetic to Ennahda.

Umm Muhammed Umar