Initially, President Saied only announced in Tunisia that the work of parliament would be put on hold.
Investigations against two leading Islamist parties are now beginning.
Several states speak of a successful strike against the Muslim Brotherhood.
Tunis - The political power struggle in Tunisia is getting worse: The Tunisian judiciary is now investigating the Islamic-conservative Ennahda party and its related party Kalb Tounes.
Both are accused of having received money from abroad for election campaigns, among other things, as a court spokesman said.
In the event of a guilty verdict, the parties' funds could be frozen and travel bans imposed on their members.
In Tunisia, President Kais Saied has been fighting a power struggle with the Ennahda for months.
In a surprising step, he relieved Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi of his office on Sunday evening and suspended the work of parliament for the time being.
In doing so, he also weakened the position of the Islamists, who are considered moderate.
As Prime Minister, Mechichi had support from Ennahda and Kalb Tounes (heart of Tunisia).
Like Mechichi, the two strongest parties in parliament are crossed with President Saied.
The main focus of the dispute is how power should be distributed between the president, government and parliament.
The Ennahda spoke of a "coup d'etat" after Saied's controversial measures on Sunday evening.
The President, however, stated that the steps he had announced were within the legal framework of the constitution.
Reactions in the region to developments in Tunisia have been mixed. In three of the most influential countries there - Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - Saied's steps are celebrated as an important blow against Islamists. Cairo, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi consider movements allied with the Muslim Brotherhood to be a serious threat, including the Ennahda. The party has denied ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates.
The Muslim Brotherhood in the region were "badly hit" by Saied, wrote the pro-government Saudi newspaper "Okas". Saied acted “resolutely against the Islamist Ennahda party”, wrote the Egyptian state news website “Al-Ahram”. The Emirati news site “24 Media” described the Ennahda’s departure from politics as “the only solution for the increasing crises in the country”. dpa
