TUNIS — Tunisian President Kais Saied appointed on Thursday Ridha Garsalaoui, a former national security adviser to the presidency, to run the Interior Ministry.

President Saied also pledged to protect rights and freedoms.

Gharslawi was told by President Saied that he is "required to ensure the continuity of the state under a delicate situation" as the country's new interior minister.

"I tell you and the whole world that I am keen to implement the constitutional text and keen more than them on rights and freedoms," Saied said.

"No one has been arrested. No one has been deprived of his rights, but the law is fully applied," he added.

Saied on Sunday invoked a national emergency to seize control of government, dismiss the prime minister and freeze parliament.

Tunisians are awaiting the appointment of a new prime minister and the announcement of a road map to find a way out of the crisis.

Supporters of Saied have cast his decisions as a welcome reset for the country after years of economic stagnation under a political class that has often appeared more interested in its own narrow advantage than in national gain.

Streets of Tunisian cities appeared calm on Thursday after major parties decided earlier in the week to avoid any major protests or confrontations for now, and after Saied imposed stricter COVID-19 measures. — Agencies