TUNIS: The speaker of Tunisia鈥檚 parliament on Thursday rejected President Kais Saied鈥檚 dissolution of the assembly the previous day.
鈥淲e consider that the parliament remains operational,鈥� Rached Ghannouchi told AFP in an interview.
鈥淭he president does not have the constitutional right to dissolve parliament.鈥�
Saied had dissolved the chamber on Wednesday, dealing another blow to the political system in place since the North African country鈥檚 2011 revolt which sparked the Arab Spring.
It came eight months after he sacked the government, froze parliament and seized sweeping powers, later moving to rule by decree in moves opponents have dubbed a 鈥渃oup.鈥�

The US State Department on Thursday said Washington is deeply concerned by Tunisian President Kais Saied鈥檚 move to dissolve parliament, which has been suspended since last year, after it defied him by voting to repeal decrees that he used to assume near total power.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters the United States has consistently communicated to Tunisian officials that any political reform process should be transparent and inclusive.
The president鈥檚 announcement on Wednesday evening came hours after parliamentarians held a plenary session online 鈥� their first since Saied鈥檚 power grab 鈥� and voted through a bill against his 鈥渆xceptional measures.鈥�
Addressing his National Security Council, Saied said MPs who had taken part would be prosecuted.
But Ghannouchi, who heads the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party that has dominated Tunisia鈥檚 post-revolution politics, Saied鈥檚 decision was 鈥渘ull and void because it contradicts the constitution.鈥�
Many Tunisians welcomed Saied鈥檚 moves against political parties seen as self-serving and corrupt, but his moves have prompted accusations that he is moving the country back toward autocracy.

(With AFP and Reuters)