BRUSSELS, Oct 19 Reuters - The European Union called on the Tunisian President Kais Saied to restore the democratic order in his country after he seized almost total control of parliament and suspended it in July.
The parliament cannot stay closed indefinitely, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told lawmakers in a debate at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Saied is under international pressure to announce a constitutional road map for a return to international politics. Last week, he announced a new government but gave no indication that he was ready to relinquish control.
His intervention followed years of economic stagnation and political paralysis, but it has cast into question the democratic gains made by Tunisians during the revolution that triggered Arab Spring uprisings in 2011.
Saied urged Borrell to put a clear timetable for reopening the parliament.
It is crucial for the country's future and its domestic and international credibility that the President and Tunisian authorities have restored the constitutional and institutional order at all levels, including Parliamentarian activity, he said.