Arab governments sound muted as Tunisia roiled by political turmoil
While some Arab governments have reacted with vague statements to the political turmoil in Tunisia, the country’s worst in a decade, others have remained silent so far.
On Sunday, Tunisian President Kais Saied froze parliament and sacked Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi amid deepening political and economic crises in the North African country that inspired the Arab Spring revolts of 2010-11.
Tunisia has been widely seen as the sole democratic success story of the Arab uprisings.
Saied, an ex-law professor, defended his moves, saying they were in line with the constitution, while his opponents, mainly the Islamist Ennahda movement, denounced them as a coup.
In recent months, Saied, who took office in 2019, has been locked in a political dispute over the powers of the government and parliament.
Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, has termed the situation in Tunisia as an internal and sovereignty issue.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the monarchy "sides with whatever enhances sisterly Tunisia’s security and stability."
While Egypt has made no official comment yet on Tunisian tensions, the Egyptian pro-government media mostly portrayed Saied’s moves as aimed to save Tunisia from Ennahda, seen as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In 2013, the Egyptian army, led by incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, deposed Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected-but-divisive leader following mass protests against his rule.
The Muslim Brotherhood is now banned in Egypt and its major regional allies, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Gulf monarchies have traditionally accused Islamists of fomenting discord and attempting to seize power.
