Turkish officials have condemned Tunisia’s president over his stunning power grab — sacking the prime minister, suspending the parliament and the immunity of all lawmakers, and appointing himself prosecutor-general late Sunday — with members of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) calling the moves a “coup.”

Kais Saied, a former constitutional law professor and a political novice who was elected in a landslide in 2019 amid mounting frustration over rising poverty, joblessness and massive corruption, acted following a wave of anti-government demonstrations over mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic. He is believed to have the backing of Tunisia’s armed forces. Under Tunisia’s post-revolutionary constitution adopted in 2014, the president is their commander in chief.

The AKP has very close ties with its ideological twin — Tunisia’s largest party, Ennahda — which shares power in Tunisia’s fractious coalition government and whose leader, Rachid Ghannouchi, is speaker of the parliament.

Ghannouchi has been keeping vigil outside the Tunisian parliament, saying Saied had mounted a coup against Tunisia’s constitution and its 2011 Jasmine Revolution. He has called on the people to resist, but supporters of the government, led by ousted Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, faced those who welcomed Saied’s intervention, sparking fears of a bloody confrontation. Tunisia’s main political parties have denounced Saied.