Troops surrounded Tunisia’s parliament building Monday, blocking its speaker from entering. The move came after the president suspended the legislature and dismissed the prime minister following nationwide protests. Protesters were angry over the country’s economic troubles and the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. Protesters celebrated President Kais Saied’s decision on Sunday. They shouted with happiness and waved Tunisian flags. But the president’s critics accused him of seizing too much power. The North African country’s allies expressed concern that its young democracy might fail. In a move sure to increase those worries, police took over the offices of broadcaster Al Jazeera and ordered it to shut down. In 2011, Tunisia began the so-called Arab Spring when protests led to the overthrow of several, longtime Middle Eastern leaders. The country is often considered the only success story of those uprisings. But democracy did not bring economic growth. Tunisia’s unemployment rate was 18 percent before the pandemic hit. Young people protested, demanding jobs and an end to police violence earlier this year. The government recently announced cuts to food and fuel subsidies. This caused more anger in areas of the country with many poor people. The government is seeking its fourth loan from the International Monetary Fund in the last ten years. The pandemic has only worsened the economic problems. The government recently announced new stay-at-home orders and other virus restrictions. But thousands of protesters ignored virus restrictions in the capital, Tunis, and other cities Sunday. They demanded the suspension of parliament. Mostly young people, the protesters shouted “Get out!” and fought with police. The president said he had to fire the prime minister and suspend parliament because of concerns over public violence. He said he acted within the law. Parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi, however, said the president did not discuss the situation with him or the prime minister as required. Ghannouchi heads the Islamic party that controlled the legislature. The three men have been in conflict.