Rabat- Tunisia’s commemoration of the 59th anniversary of the Evacuation Day was marked by a massive protest against President Kais Saied, calling for him to take responsibility for the country’s deteriorating economy which has resulted in fuel and food shortages.
The demonstrations were held by two opposition political parties, the Islamist Ennahdha party and the Free Constitutional Party.
Protestors reportedly chanted slogans such as “Down, down,” and “The coup will fall.”
BBC news reported that both groups condemned Kais Saied as “an autocrat who is reversing the democratic progress made since the 2011 uprising,’’ adding that Saied’s critics accuse him of staging a coup and attempting to turn Tunisia back into an autocracy.
Tunisia’s former prime minister Ali Laarayedh told AFP news that the protest was an outpouring of “anger at the state of affairs under Kais Saied.”
“Tunisia will have no future if Mr. Saied stays in power,” he added, highlighting the population’s growing hopelessness due to rising poverty and unemployment.
Economic crisis
The inflation rate in Tunisia reached 9.1% in September, the highest level in more than three decades.
In addition to a collapsing economy and basic supply shortages following the war in Ukraine, the rising inflation caused Tunisia to go into an unprecedented economic crisis.
According to France 24, consumers and businesses have been struggling to find essentials such as sugar, flour, and cooking oil.
Additionally, nearly 6 million Tunisians, or half the country’s population, live below the poverty line, Tunisian minister of Social Affairs Malek Ezzahi told Nessma TV earlier this year.
Protests against Kais Saied are not a new occurrence. In the midst of a political standoff, Tunisia’s largest political party, Ennahda, called for a protest against the president in February.
Saied’s dissolution of the Supreme Judicial Council and his consolidation of power has caused negative reactions, both domestically and internationally, with many fearing democratic backsliding in the country after the gradual democratic reforms brought on by the 2011 revolution.
