Thousands of demonstrators are protesting in the capital of Tunisia to demand the resignation of President Kais Saied in response to his increasingly authoritarian tendencies. In addition, demonstrators are commemorating 12 years since the Arab Spring movement exploded over the region. On Saturday, hundreds of protestors waving Tunisian flags and chanting “people want the collapse of the dictatorship” filled the central Avenue Habib Bourguiba, the main artery of the city, Tunis, and a pivotal location for the revolution.
A large police presence and water cannon remained on the roadway in front of the Interior Ministry building. Protesters had surged through police and metal barricades to reach the avenue, ignoring the authorities’ early efforts to keep separate many rival rallies organized by different political parties and civil society organizations. The protest follows last month’s catastrophic parliamentary elections, in which just 11 percent of eligible voters cast votes. The elections are intended to replace and reconfigure the legislature that Saied abolished in 2021. The runoff election will occur on January 29. The country is also experiencing a severe economic crisis, with inflation and unemployment on the increase. In recent months, Tunisians have seen rising food costs and shortages of gasoline and basic food products like as sugar, vegetable oil, and rice. On January 14, 2011, the then-President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was forcibly removed from office, changing the country into a nascent democracy that inspired the Arab Spring.
Saied, who was elected in 2019, suspended the elected parliament and began reshaping the political system, but the low voter turnout in December’s election of a new, mostly powerless legislature demonstrated that the public had little interest in his reforms. In an apparent response to criticism, Saied made an unannounced visit to Avenue Habib Bourguiba and the medina of the capital city on Friday. He urged vigilance against “intruders and renegades” who may mingle with protestors and spark conflicts.
