Thousands of Tunisians protest against Kais Saied / Opposition denounces the erosion of democracy and the economic crisis

Thousands of Tunisians protested on Saturday in Tunis against President Kais Saied, in a demonstration considered the largest action of its kind in recent years. Protesters accused the authorities of eroding democracy, political repression and mismanaging the economy, amid worsening living conditions.

The demonstration was organized by the UGTT trade union and several civil society organizations. Opposition parties, lawyers, doctors, journalists, unemployed people and activists took part in the march on Habib Bourguiba Avenue. Protesters denounced repeated water and power cuts, shortages of medicines and essential goods, unemployment and pollution.

The demonstrators called for the release of the president’s critics and an end to pressure on trade unions and civil society. They chanted, “We are not afraid, power belongs to the people” and “The prisons are full, the people are hungry.”

Kais Saied considerably expanded his powers in 2021 after dissolving Parliament and dismissing several judges. The opposition described the measures as a coup, while the president rejects the accusations and maintains that his opponents are deliberately provoking the crises. The same avenue was a focal point of the 2011 protests that preceded the Arab Spring.