TUNIS: Tunisia鈥檚 speaker, Rached Ghannouchi, said on Thursday that the suspended parliament will inevitably return, in the clearest challenge to President Kais Saied.
Saied suspended Parliament in July and seized control of most powers, a move his opponents described as a coup.
Ghannouchi said in an opposition meeting that Tunisians will 鈥済et rid of dictatorship鈥� and called on the opposition to unite to face the setback.
Tunisia鈥檚 president this month dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council, one of the remaining institutions in Tunisia that was able to work independently of him.
Saied cemented his grip over the judiciary last week with a decree that lets him dismiss judges or block their promotion, helping consolidate his power after he seized executive authority last summer.
Responding to journalists, Saied said during a visit to Brussels on Thursday, 鈥淛ust as (French) General De Gaulle said, 鈥淣ot at this age, I鈥檓 going to start a dictatorship.鈥�
Ghannouchi, the leader of Islamist Ennahda party did not announce further details about plan to return parliament, but it is likely that it will be through an invitation to a public session via video.
Last week, Ghannouchi said he would meet a European parliamentary delegation that will visit Tunisia on Feb. 20, as part of meetings with civil society, politicians and lawmakers from the suspended parliament.