Five Tunisia parties blame authorities over 'violence against anti-referendum demonstrators'

Five Tunisian political parties have decried what they said was violence against their supporters at a demonstration in opposition to an upcoming referendum.

Kais Saied, the country's president, is aiming to put a new constitution to a vote on 25 July, before holding elections in December.

Demonstrations were held on both sides of the debate in Sousse city on Saturday, with violence breaking out. Tunisian authorities then stepped in, Anadolu Agency reported on Monday.

Five parties who earlier this month formed a campaign to scrap the July constitutional referendum alleged Saied loyalists had assaulted their supporters.

These political factions are the Republican Party, the Democratic Current, the Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties, the Democratic Modernist Pole and the Workers' Party.

They blamed the authorities for what happened and said the violence "posed a threat to civil piece" and was an "attempt to silence the opposition".

Anadolu said there had been no response to this claim.

In July, Saied suspended parliament as part of a power grab that subsequently saw him start ruling by decree.

Opponents have called these decisions a "coup".