Tunisian President Kais Saied on Monday extended the suspension of parliament and immunity for the country's lawmakers until further notice, the presidency said in a statement, after dismissing his prime minister last month.  

Saied issued "a presidential decree extending the exceptional measures ... regarding the suspension of parliament and lifting of the parliamentary immunity of its MPs until further notice," said the statement.

Saied last month suspended all activities of the Assembly of People's Representatives, or parliament, and removed Hichem Mechichi from the post of prime minister, in moves he said were needed to save the country from collapse.

Authorities have since placed several officials, including former ministers, under house arrest and prevented politicians and businessmen from traveling.

Saied, who was elected in a landslide in 2019 vowing to stand up against corruption, appears to have widespread popular support in Tunisia. 

Tunisia's 2011 unrest overthrew the country's longtime strongman Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, followed by a string of protests across the Middle East, known in the West as the Arab Spring.

(With input from AFP)

(Cover: A still image captured from a video recorded on July 26, 2021, shows Tunisian President Kais Saied speaking during a meeting with union leaders in Tunis, Tunisia. /CFP)