, ruling by decree in a move that opposition parties have called a coup.
The new parliament, elected in polls in December and January, operates under a constitution that Saied wrote last year. It will have very little power compared with the body it replaces.As most parties boycotted the election, and candidates were listed on ballot papers without party affiliation, most of the new parliament members are political independents.
Saleh Mbarki, who chaired the opening session, said: “Our duties as people’s representatives is to work in partnership with the executive authority for the unity of the state.”