Tunisia: Kais Saied criticized, thousands protest against the autocrat

Thousands of people protested this Saturday in the Tunisian capital Tunis against the authoritarian policies of President Kais Saied. It was said to be one of the largest protest marches against Saied's regime in years. The demonstrators accused the president of undermining democracy and worsening the economic crisis in Tunisia.

The UGTT union and civil rights groups called for the rally. In a rare show of unity, opposition parties across the political spectrum, as well as doctors, lawyers and journalists, joined the march on Avenue Habib Bourguiba. The street was a central location of the protests in 2011, which largely led to the so-called Arab Spring. The demonstrators demanded the release of imprisoned critics of the president and shouted slogans such as "Don't be afraid, the power belongs to the people" and "The prisons are full, the people are hungry."

Tunisia is suffering from a severe economic crisis with recurring power and water outages as well as shortages of medicines and basic foodstuffs. Saied assumed extensive powers in 2021, dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree. The opposition described this move as a coup. Human rights organizations also accuse the president of intensifying measures against civil society, journalists and political opponents.

Saied rejects these allegations and emphasizes that he is not a dictator. He accuses his opponents of deliberately bringing about the economic problems in order to foment social unrest. Kais Saied was once considered Tunisia's beacon of hope.