Tunisia has summoned Rached Ghannouchi, the speaker of the dissolved parliament and leader of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, for questioning over accusations of “conspiracy against state security.”
Party spokesman Imed Khemiri confirmed on Friday that Ghannouchi, 81, received a summons on Thursday to answer questions about a plenary session held online by lawmakers. Khemiri himself was also summoned.
“He is accused of having plotted against state security, which is a dangerous precedent,” Khemiri said.
Ghannouchi added that at least 30 parliamentarians had also been called in by Tunisia’s anti-terrorism police.
Saied Dissolves Parliament
The development comes after President Kais Saied formally dissolved parliament on Wednesday, deepening Tunisia’s political crisis. The decision followed an online plenary session where MPs voted against Saied’s “exceptional measures,” which had allowed him to seize sweeping powers.
Saied, who sacked the government and froze parliament in July 2021 before ruling by decree, defended the move as necessary. His opponents, however, call it a “coup” and accuse him of steering Tunisia back toward autocracy.
Divided Tunisia
While many Tunisians initially welcomed Saied’s actions as a response to a corrupt and ineffective political class, critics say his growing control over the executive, judiciary, and legislature threatens the country’s democratic gains since the 2011 Arab Spring uprising.
Ennahdha, once dominant in post-revolution politics, has been widely blamed for Tunisia’s prolonged political stalemate and economic decline.
Meanwhile, the parliament building in Tunis has remained closed and under heavy security for the past eight months.
