World reacts to Tunisia political crisis after shock dismissal of govt

Tunisian President Kais Saied's decision to suspend parliament and dismiss his prime minister has sparked protests at home, where the biggest political party decried it as a "coup".

Foreign governments voiced concern on Monday. 

Here are some reactions from countries and alliances around the world to late Sunday's shock announcement.

EU

The European Union urged all political actors in Tunisia to respect the country's constitution and avoid violence.

"We are closely following the latest developments inTunisia," a spokeswoman for the European Commission said.

"We call on all Tunisian actors to respect the Constitution, its institutions and the rule of law. We also call on them to remain calm and to avoid any resort to violence in order to preserve the stability of the country," she said.

Turkey 

Turkey's Foreign Ministry said it was "deeply concerned" by the latest development in Tunisia and called for the restoration of "democratic legitimacy".

"The preservation of Tunisia's democratic achievements, which is a success story in terms of the democratic process conducted in line with the expectations of people in the region, is of great importance for the region as well as for Tunisia," the ministry said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, tweeted: "We reject the suspension of the democratic process and the disregard of the people's democratic will in friendly and brotherly Tunisia.

"We condemn initiatives that lack constitutional legitimacy and public support. We believe Tunisia democracy will emerge stronger from this process."

Germany 

A spokeswoman for the German Foreign Ministry, Maria Adebahr, told reporters that Germany hoped Tunisia would return "as soon as possible to constitutional order".

"Democracy has taken roots in Tunisia since 2011", Adebahr said, referring to the year of the popular revolution that toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Germany was "very worried" she said, adding however: "We don't want to speak of a coup d'etat".

"It is important to return to constitutional order as quickly as possible," Adebahr said.

"We will certainly try to discuss (the situation) with the Tunisian ambassador in Berlin, and our ambassador in Tunis is ready to engage in discussions."

Russia 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov, in brief comments, said Russia is monitoring developments in Tunisia.

"We hope that nothing will threaten the stability and security of the people of that country," he told reporters at a daily phone briefing.

Qatar

Qatar called on all parties in Tunisia's political crisis to avoid escalation and move towards dialogue, the state-run Qatar News Agency said.

"Qatar hopes that Tunisian parties will adopt the path of dialogue to overcome the crisis," QNA cited a Foreign Ministry statement as saying.

France

France urged a return "as soon as possible" to the "normal functioning" of government.

It also called "on all of the country's political forces to avoid any form of violence and to preserve the country's democratic gains."

United States

The United States voiced alarm over the Tunisian president's sacking of the government and called on the birthplace of the Arab Spring to adhere to "democratic principles."

"We're concerned about the developments in Tunisia," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.

"We are in touch at a senior level," she said, and "urge calm and support Tunisian efforts to move forward in line with democratic principles."

READ MORE: Tunisian president suspends parliament, dismisses government

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