Tunisian President Kais Saied has dissolved parliament, which he suspended eight months ago following mass protests.
It came as the lawmakers on Wednesday convened online and voted to repeal presidential decrees that gave him near total power since last year.
The president move termed the parliament’s move a “coup attempt”.
He said parliament had “lost its legitimacy” and had “betrayed” the nation – and the MPs responsible would be prosecuted.
Mr Saïed suspended parliament, assumed executive powers and moved to rewrite the constitution eight months ago. He has since ruled by decree.
Since then, anger at economic conditions in Tunisia has sparked street protests, some involving clashes with the police.
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Women and children drown fleeing Nigeria gang attack
More than a dozen people including women and children fleeing attacks by armed gangs have drowned in the central Nigerian state of Niger when their boat capsized.
Emergency officials say eight bodies, including those of two women and six children, have been recovered while five people are still missing.
A search and rescue operation is underway.
The victims from the village of Galkogo were fleeing a deadly attack by gunmen on their community on Tuesday.
Their boat then capsized on a major river. Some managed to escape but many drowned. Officials say the boat was weak and overloaded.
Armed gangs locally known as bandits have stepped up attacks in northern Nigeria displacing nearly a million people.
On Monday, they attacked a busy passenger train traveling from the capital, Abuja, to the northern city of Kaduna killing, nearly a dozen people and kidnapping others.
The government is facing severe criticism for failing to tackle the worsening violence despite deploying thousands of troops.
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Source: BBC
