Dissolution of Tunisian parliament 'blow' to will of people, Turkey's Erdoğan says

Turkey's president on Monday decried the dissolution of Tunisia's parliament as "a blow to the will of Tunisian people."

"We regret that the Assembly of People's Representatives, which held a General Assembly session in Tunisia on March 30, 2022, was dissolved, and an inquiry against the deputies who attended the session was initiated," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a statement.

"We hope that these developments will not jeopardize the ongoing transition towards establishing democratic legitimacy in Tunisia, and we place a premium on the fulfillment of the Road Map outlined for the elections," he continued.

He said Ankara believes that the North African country's transition process "can only be successful through a comprehensive and meaningful dialogue with the contribution of all sectors of society, including the assembly, which embodies the national will."

"We see the developments in Tunisia as a stain on democracy," the president said. "The dissolution of the parliament, which includes elected officials, raises questions about the future of Tunisia and is a blow to the will of the Tunisian people."

He added that Turkey will continue to stand by Tunisia and the Tunisian people during this period.

Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political crisis since last July, when President Kais Saied dismissed the government, suspended parliament, and assumed executive authority, in a move decried by opponents as a "coup."

It had been seen as the only country that succeeded in carrying out a democratic transition among Arab countries which witnessed popular revolutions toppling ruling regimes, including Egypt, Libya, and Yemen.