Thousands of people protest against the Tunisian president on the 10th anniversary of the uprising
Thousands of protesters demonstrated against Tunisian President Kais Saied in the capital on Friday, signaling growing opposition to his seizure of power and the suspension of parliament five months ago.
Called to coincide with the anniversary of the uprising that toppled autocrat Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali a decade ago, it was the first protest since Saied announced a long-awaited roadmap on Monday that keeps parliament suspended for another year.
Protesters began to gather in central Tunis, chanting “Freedom, freedom, the police state is over!” and “The people want the president’s impeachment!”
“It is not a roadmap to get out of the crisis, but to perpetuate the crisis,” said Jawhar Ben Mubarak, an expert on constitutional law and activist in “Citizens Against the Coup”, who has mobilized opposition to Saied.
Saied “kidnapped the country half a year ago and he wants to kidnap it for another year,” he said.
Several Saied supporters gathered on nearby Habib Bourguiba avenue, holding up Tunisian flags.
Security forces were largely deployed in the area.
The roadmap announced Monday includes a constitutional referendum next July, followed by parliamentary elections in late 2022.
The largest party in parliament, the Islamist Ennahda, has rejected the suspension of parliament for another year.
Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi, speaker of parliament, said the only way out of the crisis was the cancellation of the exceptional measures declared by Saied.
The anniversary of the uprising had previously been marked on January 14, the date Ben Ali fled Tunisia, based on an agreement between the groups that participated in the uprising.
But Saied decided to change the date to December 17, the date fruit seller Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid after an altercation with a policewoman over where he had left his cart, sparking the uprising.
Initially, Saied’s takeover seemed to have gained wide support among Tunisians, fed up with years of economic stagnation and political paralysis. But opposition to his position has been sharpened, including from the political parties and other major national actors that initially supported him.
(REUTERS)
