Tunisia faced its biggest crisis in a decade of democracy on Monday after President Kais Saied ousted the government and froze parliament in a move which appeared to be backed by the army but was labelled a coup by foes including influential Islamists.
It follows months of deadlock and disputes between Saied, a political independent, Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and a fragmented parliament as Tunisia has descended deeper into an economic crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, the head of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party which has played a role in successive coalitions, decried it as an assault on democracy and called on Tunisians to take to the streets in opposition.
Supporters of the rival sides threw stones at each other outside parliament on Monday morning. Tunisia's hard-currency bonds tumbled.
In a statement late on Sunday, Saied invoked the constitution to dismiss Mechichi and decree a freeze of parliament for 30 days, saying he would govern alongside a new premier.
He has yet to say when the new premier will be appointed.