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Tunisia’s President Dissolves Suspended Parliament

Tunisian President Kais Saied (AP)
Tunisian President Kais Saied (AP)
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Tunisia’s President Dissolves Suspended Parliament

Tunisian President Kais Saied (AP)
Tunisian President Kais Saied (AP)

Tunisian President Kais Saied dissolved parliament on Wednesday, months after suspending it.

Following a meeting with the national security council, Saied announced that he had ordered the Minister of Justice to call on the attorney general to take action after the virtual plenary session of the suspended parliament.

Despite the chamber's suspension, over 120 lawmakers held an online meeting Wednesday, voting against the "exceptional measures" Saied has used since July.

Before the session, the legislators confirmed that they would move forward with holding the first plenary session since last summer, expecting over half of the members of parliament to participate in the session to vote against the "exceptional measures."

On Monday, the President issued a stern warning to parliamentarians that forces and institutions would act against "those who push the people into internal fighting."

MP Yamina Zoghlami asserted that the session would carry on, saying: "We are not afraid to defend a legitimate institution," and the people "did not withdraw their confidence."

Several political parties criticized Speaker Rached Ghannouchi after he called for a session of the suspended parliament, citing fears of turmoil and political division in the country.

The parliament's office created a new Facebook page named "the Assembly of the Representatives of the People" to announce the plenary session after the Presidency blocked the official page following the announcement of exceptional measures in the summer.

Constitutional law professor Rabeh Kharaifi said the public prosecution might question the MPs who participated in the session, and subject them to sentences ranging from five years to life imprisonment.

They could be accused of threatening internal peace and assaulting state security, he added.

The Ennhada movement office revealed that the 11th electoral conference would be organized in October to elect a new leader to succeed Ghannouchi, who confirmed that he was not running for the post again.

In 2020, a group of Ennahda leaders sent a letter to Ghannouchi asking him not to seek another term, and not to revise Chapter 31 of the party's bylaws to allow new members to lead the party.

The document was signed by 100 Ennahda figures, including members of the Shura Council, the Executive Office, the Parliamentary bloc, and the party's central offices.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.