Tunisia lurched further into political uncertainty Wednesday as President Kais Saied dismissed more officials, days after he suspended parliament and assumed executive powers in what opponents labelled a coup.

Key civil society groups warned against any "illegitimate" extension of Saied's 30-day suspension of parliament, and demanded in a joint statement a timeline for political action.

A decade after Tunisia’s 2011 revolution, often held up as the sole success of the Arab Spring, political turmoil remains rife in the country
A decade after Tunisia’s 2011 revolution, often held up as the sole success of the Arab Spring, political turmoil remains rife in the country AFPTV / Colin BERTIER

After suspending parliament and sacking Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi on Sunday, and firing the defence and justice ministers on Monday, Saied then ordered the dismissal of several top officials.

Late Tuesday, 63-year-old Saied, a former law lecturer who was a political newcomer when he won a landslide 2019 presidential election victory, issued decrees sacking a long list of senior government officials, including the army's chief prosecutor.

Tunisian President Kais Saied gestures to supporters in Tunis after he suspended parliament for 30 days, seen here in a picture by the Tunisian Presidency on July 26, 2021
Tunisian President Kais Saied gestures to supporters in Tunis after he suspended parliament for 30 days, seen here in a picture by the Tunisian Presidency on July 26, 2021 Tunisian presidency Facebook page / -

On Wednesday, he also dismissed the CEO of national television channel Wataniya.

In addition, he has lifted the parliamentary immunity of lawmakers and assumed judicial powers.

Saied says his actions are justified under the constitution, which allows the head of state to take unspecified exceptional measures in the event of an "imminent threat".

Map of Tunisia's capital Tunis, embroiled in a political crisis
Map of Tunisia's capital Tunis, embroiled in a political crisis AFP / Vincent LEFAI

On top of the political turmoil, the North African nation is beset by a crippling economic crisis including soaring inflation and high unemployment, as well as surging Covid-19 infections.

There were clashes on Monday outside parliament in the capital
There were clashes on Monday outside parliament in the capital AFP / FETHI BELAID

The moderate Islamist Ennahdha party, which was the largest faction in the coalition government, has labelled the power grab a "coup d'etat", while the US, EU and other powers have voiced strong concern.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Wednesday urged Tunisia to rapidly appoint a new prime minister and government.

Tunisian soldiers have surrounded parliament, seen here on July 26, 2021
Tunisian soldiers have surrounded parliament, seen here on July 26, 2021 AFP / FETHI BELAID

Further ramping up tensions, the Tunisian prosecutor's office announced on Wednesday the judiciary has opened an investigation into allegations that Ennahdha and two other political parties received illegal funding ahead of elections in 2019.

The financial arm of the judiciary opened the probe on July 14, focusing on "the foreign financing and acceptance of funds of unknown origin", prosecution spokesman Mohsen Dali said.

Supporters of Tunisia's President Kais Saied also took to the streets to back his actions, seen here on July 26, 2021
Supporters of Tunisia's President Kais Saied also took to the streets to back his actions, seen here on July 26, 2021 AFP / FETHI BELAID

Saied, an academic who has said he is determined to revolutionise the political system through changes to the law, said he would assume executive power with the help of a government whose new chief he would appoint himself.

Names of possible candidates circulated Wednesday after Saied met with representatives of national organisations late Monday.

"President Saied will be very careful in choosing the future head of government, because he wants a trustworthy and loyal person who would adopt the same policies as him," said political scientist Slaheddine Jourchi.

The young democracy had often been cited as the sole success story of the Arab Spring -- the series of uprisings that swept the region starting in 2010.

But, a decade on, many in the nation of 12 million people say they have seen little improvement in living standards, and have grown infuriated by protracted political deadlock with infighting among the elite.

The ousted government had also been criticised for its handling of the Covid pandemic. Tunisia has one of the world's highest official per-capita death tolls.

"President Saied is faced with a great challenge: to show Tunisians and the world that he made the right decisions," added Jourchi.

After violent clashes outside the army-blockaded parliament on Monday, the Ennahdha party said "organised thugs" were being used to "provoke bloodshed and chaos".

On Tuesday, Ennahdha said it was ready to go to early legislative and presidential elections for the sake of maintaining democracy, while demanding that any delay "is not used as a pretext to maintain an autocratic regime".

Noureddine B'Hiri, a senior Ennahdha leader, said the party had decided to campaign peacefully against the president's plans.

But before any elections, "parliament should resume its activities and the military end its control", B'Hiri told AFP.

Some have lasted just months, hindering the reforms needed to revamp the country's struggling economy and poor public services.