Is Tunisia turning against Kais Saied?
In recent months, Tunisia’s political climate has entered a new phase, one in which even the closest supporters of President Kais Saied have opened their mouths to criticize. Al Jazeera reported on developments in Tunisia: Representatives who were among the staunchest defenders of Saied’s actions during the “coup d’état of July 25, 2021” (and the subsequent referendum on the Tunisian constitution) – accusing the opposition of corruption, treason, collusion with foreigners or collaboration with the Ennahda movement – are now openly speaking in parliament about the government’s inefficiency and the complete chaos in the country’s management.
On July 25, 2021, Kais Saied dismissed the government of Prime Minister Hisham Mchichi, dissolved the Tunisian House of Representatives, and lifted the immunity of its members. The actions, described as a “self-coup,” came after a period of political instability and a series of protests against the Ennahda-backed government and the collapse of the health sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia. In July 2022, a new constitution was approved to increase the powers of the president, which was rejected by more than two-thirds of voters.
Now, lawmakers who previously defended Saied say the government has no plan; the country is heading for “collapse,” and the president is “completely disconnected from reality” and making decisions based on personal fantasies. In their view, the presidential apparatus is paralyzed, the decision-making process is unclear, and no one knows who is providing information to the president and who is actually running the country.
This is while economic problems have put more pressure on the people than ever before, poverty has spread, and the Tunisian government’s 2026 budget is based on increasing taxes to the point that some representatives have described it as “a budget for taking a tribute from the people.”