Turkish officials condemn Tunisian 'coup' but keep it measured
While AKP officials have denounced the Tunisian president's sacking of the prime minister and suspension of parliament as a "coup," Ankara’s language was markedly less incendiary than when Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi overthrew the country’s popularly elected president in 2013.
Turkish officials have condemned Tunisia’s president over his stunning power grab — sacking the prime minister, suspending the parliament and the immunity of all lawmakers, and appointing himself prosecutor-general late Sunday — with members of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) calling the moves a “coup.”
Kais Saied, a former constitutional law professor and a political novice who was elected in a landslide in 2019 amid mounting frustration over rising poverty, joblessness and massive corruption, acted following a wave of anti-government demonstrations over mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic. He is believed to have the backing of Tunisia’s armed forces. Under Tunisia’s post-revolutionary constitution adopted in 2014, the president is their commander in chief.
