Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed denied over the weekend claims that he was seeking to stage a coup against President Beji Caid Essebsi.
He told a parliament session: “Governments that are formed through the legislative authority do not pursue revolts.”
“Does a government that enjoys so many constitutional privileges think about staging a coup?” he asked, while deeming the accusations against him as a “farce.”
He noted that Tunisia weathered several political crisis that could have taken it towards an unknown fate, adding that they were resolved through respecting the constitution and democratic mechanisms.
“Statements by some figures, who believe that respecting the constitution is a coup, will not affect us,” Chahed stressed.
Moreover, he accused some forces of seeking to create political instability and stoking tensions in Tunisia.
Earlier, new Secretary General of the Nidaa Tounes party Salim al-Riyahi had filed a complaint before the military court against the prime minister, his aides and a number of politicians for plotting a revolt.
He said that the case was now in the hands of the judiciary and that he was prepared to submit all evidence he has to support his claim.
He was criticized by the presidential security agency for including Raouf Mardaa, former head of the apparatus, in his complaint.
“The time of revolts is over,” it said, calling against “dragging members of its leadership into petty partisan disputes.”
