TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia’s ruling party, Nidaa Tunis, froze the membership of Prime Minister Youssef Chahed on Sept. 14. The decision came after Chahed refused to answer a questionnaire by Nidaa Tunis clarifying the nature of his relationship with the party.

A week earlier, on Sept. 8, eight parliamentarians from Nidaa Tunis' bloc of 56 parliament members submitted their resignations from the bloc. Parliament member Mohammed al-Rashdi, one of the eight, told the Tunis-Afrique Presse news agency that they will join the National Coalition, a new bloc initially composed of 33 parliament members supporting the government of Youssef Chahed.

The National Coalition bloc was formed Sept. 7 by independents and resigning members from political parties such as Machrouu Tunis and Free Patriotic Union.

The 217-seat Tunisian parliament is made up of eight blocs; Ennahda bloc is at the top with 69 seats, followed by Nidaa Tunis. With the eight outgoing parliament members who joined its ranks, the new National Coalition bloc supporting Chahed is expected to form the third force in parliament. The group resignation brought the number of the new coalition to 41. This could change the balance of power within the country’s parliament.